UK government brands Elon Musk ‘deplorable’ amid race riots

Musk has dived into the riots happening in Britain by sharing a series of posts on his X platform. However, he is now facing criticism for how he is dealing with online misinformation.

Elon Musk is facing criticism after stating that he believes a civil war is bound to happen. | Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Blog Post - August 6, 2024 at 11:43 am Central European Time (CET)

LONDON — A government official criticized Elon Musk's statement that race riots in the U.K. are unavoidable, describing it as unacceptable. The ongoing dispute between the U.K. government and the billionaire tech entrepreneur continues to escalate.

Heidi Alexander, the U.K. courts minister, criticized the social media CEO for a series of tweets about the violent chaos happening in Britain lately.

In several towns and cities, there has been an increase in violence from far-right groups. Mosques and hotels where asylum seekers stay have been targeted. The violence started after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport last Monday. The attacker's identity was falsely reported on social media, leading to further unrest.

Musk is facing criticism from politicians after he stated on Sunday that a civil war is bound to happen. The owner of X has also labeled the U.K police reaction as biased and has openly criticized Starmer for denouncing the far-right's actions against mosques.

"I believe Elon Musk's remarks are completely unacceptable," Alexander stated during his interview with the BBC on Tuesday. "I think it is important for everyone to urge for peace at this time."

Then she said, "He has a duty because he has a large audience, so honestly I believe his remarks are quite terrible."

Musk has also received backlash for sharing inaccurate information about the Southport attacker's identity and for posting illegal content as the riots continued.

When questioned about how the government plans to address Musk's platform, Alexander conceded that there are limited options at the moment. The Online Safety Act, which is intended to address illegal content on platforms, is not expected to be implemented until the end of the year.

"It's not like this is a walk in the park," she said. "Technology is constantly changing, so we have to make sure our laws are kept up to date."

In addition, social media companies also have a moral obligation to uphold.