Elon Musk's UK 'civil war' post on X criticised by Keir Starmer
Musk Fires Back At UK 'civil War' Criticism
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Sir Keir Starmer criticized remarks made by Elon Musk, who implied that a civil war is bound to happen after the recent violent upheaval in the UK.
The person in charge of X, previously known as Twitter, shared their thoughts on the website in reaction to a video of individuals targeting police with fireworks.
The spokesperson for the prime minister stated that Mr. Musk's comments were not justified and that social media companies could and should be taking more action.
Heidi Alexander, who is in charge of overseeing justice, also condemned the wealthy technology entrepreneur for his comments, calling them completely unjustifiable and quite reprehensible.
Chaos has been going on for nearly a week after three girls were fatally stabbed in Southport. The resulting chaos in various towns and cities in England and parts of Northern Ireland has been fueled by false information on the internet, extreme right-wing beliefs, and anti-immigrant feelings.
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Activists and law enforcement had confrontations in various urban areas throughout the UK during the weekend.
After sharing his thoughts on the civil war in a post last Saturday, Mr. Musk has been actively discussing the ongoing turmoil in the UK.
In a response to a message from the prime minister about not accepting attacks on mosques or Muslim communities, Mr. Musk questioned why there wasn't equal concern for attacks on all communities.
The wealthy individual in the tech industry has also responded to a social media post that was critical of the police in the UK. They mentioned that the police's actions appear to show favoritism towards one side.
Responding to Mr. Musk's comments, Ms. Alexander expressed her disapproval on BBC Breakfast, stating that he holds a considerable influence and therefore should be more mindful of his words. She described his statements as unacceptable.
Mr. Musk has a significant presence on the platform with over 192 million followers.
When questioned about claims of unequal policing in the UK, Ms. Alexander dismissed it as a false accusation that undermines the hard work of police officers who work diligently to enforce the law.
She stated that social media companies have a duty to encourage peace and work together to stop false information.
The spokesperson for the Prime Minister emphasized that social media companies should take responsibility for preventing illegal activities, even those coming from overseas, from being spread online. They also noted that state actors could be helping to spread false information.
However, they refused to disclose the specific countries that the government suspects are responsible for the posts.
On Monday, Peter Kyle, who is in charge of technology, mentioned that he had spoken with people from TikTok, Meta (the company that owns Facebook), Google, and X. He emphasized to them the importance of working together to prevent the spread of harmful false information and encouragement.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has stated that the government will not accept any form of online violence and social media platforms must take accountability for posts that promote criminal behavior.
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Arsonists caused fires in a police station, cars and a hotel during the chaos.
The BBC has reached out to X, Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Signal for their input.
According to a reliable insider at Snap, the company behind Snapchat, they have not heard from the UK government in relation to the recent chaos.
Snapchat claims to have 21 million people using the app every month in the UK.
Crimes related to encouraging others to commit acts of violence have been around in the UK for a long time, even before the rise of social media. These offences are outlined in the Public Order Act of 1986.
This might involve inciting violence and intimidation, as well as participating in violent protests.
At the same time, the Online Safety Act was passed in 2023 but is not fully implemented yet. This law will make social media companies take strong measures against illegal content and behavior, such as offenses that are racially or religiously motivated and encouraging violence.
The new law will make it a crime to send threatening messages online and spread fake news that could cause significant harm.
On Monday, Sir Keir made it clear that the same laws that apply in traditional settings also apply on the internet.
Some people on the internet have criticized Mr. Musk's remarks. Satirist Armando Iannucci said that the CEO of Tesla and Space X had been "fooled by his own platform, which prioritizes sensationalism over the truth".
Sunder Katwala, who leads the think tank British Future, stated that the message was "promoting a story that is important in shaping people's views to tolerate violence in order to defend their community".
He stated that government, Ofcom, and parliament must provide robust actions in response to the comments.
A representative from Ofcom informed BBC News that they are working swiftly to put the Online Safety Act into action, with the goal of enforcing it as soon as they can.
They mentioned that once the new regulations are implemented, technology companies will need to evaluate the possibility of inappropriate content on their websites, implement measures to prevent it from being displayed, and promptly remove it from their platforms upon notification.
"We anticipate that the illegal activity taxes will be implemented by the end of this year... and the extra taxes on the biggest companies in 2026."
Further information was gathered by Graham Fraser.
