Musk Criticizes UK as "Oppressive Police State" Again... Conflict Rekindled

Clash Between Starmer Government and UK Following Outbreak of Violence

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has once again ignited conflict with the UK government by criticizing the country as a "tyrannical police state."

On the 25th (local time), Musk shared a post on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) stating, "A petition demanding a new general election in the UK has received one million signatures. People are tired of the socialist tyrannical police state," and claimed, "The British people have been fed up with living under a tyrannical police state."

AP Yonhap News

This is not the first time Musk has clashed with the UK government. From late July to August, Musk publicly confronted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over anti-immigration and anti-Islam violent protests in the UK. Recently, he shared a post about Starmer’s declining approval ratings, commenting, "The voice of the people is a great antidote."

Earlier, on July 29, violent protests erupted after a stabbing incident at a children's dance class in Southport, UK, where three children were killed. False news spread on social media claiming the suspect was a "Muslim asylum seeker," which fueled the violence.

At the time, Musk expressed support by reacting with exclamation marks and comments on online content related to the protests. He posted videos showing street violence and added, "Civil war is inevitable," drawing attention. When Prime Minister Starmer stated, "We will not tolerate attacks on mosques and Muslim communities," Musk retorted, "Shouldn't we be concerned about attacks on 'all' communities?"

In response, the Starmer government pointed to the spread of rumors and incitement of violence through social media as a major cause of the escalating violence, criticizing Musk’s platform X and holding related IT companies accountable.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, X.

The UK House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee began an official investigation on the 20th into the impact of social media on the violent incidents. Chair Chi Onwurah announced plans to summon senior executives from big tech companies, including Musk, to explain social media’s influence on the UK violence, but Musk has not expressed willingness to appear.

The US political media outlet The Hill reported that a spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer said regarding Musk’s criticism of the UK government, "We will not be swayed by individual comments," adding, "The Prime Minister is focused on the issues that matter most to the British people." The spokesperson also stated, "The Prime Minister looks forward to working with the entire team, including Trump and Musk, to deepen and develop the special relationship between the UK and the US across trade, investment, security, and defense."