Musk Raises Suspicions of Dual Response by UK Police to Violent Protests
As far-right violence intensifies in the UK, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has once again targeted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. There are suspicions that the UK government is responding to violent protests with a double standard. False information spreading on X (formerly Twitter) is being identified as the main cause of the worsening situation, and tensions between both sides are expected to deepen.
On the 6th (local time), Musk shared a video on his social media platform X showing protesters, believed to be pro-Palestinian, attacking a pub in Birmingham, along with the message, "Why are not all communities in the UK protected?" He also added the hashtag 'TwoTierKeir' in the comments, inflating suspicions that local police are cracking down more harshly on white protesters than on ethnic minority protesters.
Currently, in the UK, far-right violent protests calling for anti-Islam and anti-immigration have been spreading since the end of last month, following an incident where three children were killed by a perpetrator who broke into a children's dance class. Fake news spread on social media claiming that the perpetrator, an Islamic immigrant named ‘Ali Alshakaty,’ shouted ‘Allahu Akbar (Allah is great)’ before the crime. According to the Associated Press, violent incidents have occurred in more than 20 towns and cities, with over 400 people arrested and 100 charged.
Prime Minister Starmer is holding social media giants responsible, stating that false information has fueled the violence. Earlier, on the 4th, Musk posted on X that "civil war is inevitable" regarding the UK’s violent protests, to which Starmer’s spokesperson immediately responded, calling it a "baseless statement" and warning that "anyone inciting violence online will face severe legal consequences." Musk’s restoration of the suspended social media account of Tommy Robinson, co-founder of the far-right group English Defence League (EDL), who is being pointed to as a behind-the-scenes figure in the current situation, and his sharing of Robinson’s posts are also fueling the conflict.
The political media outlet Politico reported that the UK government has launched an investigation into how domestic far-right groups have amplified fake news on social media, including whether state forces were involved. Currently, the UK has the 'Online Safety Act' to regulate illegal content on social media platforms, but it will come into effect early next year. The European Union (EU) has a similar 'Digital Markets Act' (DMA) in force, but the UK has left the EU.
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