Elon Musk blasts UK police: Billionaire remarks on 'two tier policing'

Billionaire Elon Musk has now hit out at Britain's police as he replied to a highly offensive cartoon on so-called 'two tier policing' and said 'it does seem one-sided'. The owner of X, formerly Twitter, is at the centre of a war of words with government after he used his platform to make a series of inflammatory claims over race riots seen on the streets of Britain in recent days.

Sir Keir Starmer and Downing Street yesterday hit out at the billionaire for suggesting 'civil war is inevitable' following days of rioting fuelled by disinformation on social media after the deaths of three little girls in Southport last week. The Prime Minister's spokesman said there was 'no justification for comments like that' - as his technology minister met with representatives from social networks, including X, to urge them to act on fighting online hate.

A few hours later, Mr Musk – the richest man in the world worth more than $200billion – criticised Sir Keir directly by responding to a video posted by the PM stressing attacks on mosques and Muslims would not be tolerated. Mr Musk, who has 193million global followers, replied, asking Sir Keir: 'Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities? '

Overnight he then responded to a cartoon featuring offensive caricatures of two men, one wearing a headband featuring the flag of Pakistan, holding a knife, alongside a police officer with the caption: 'We are here to protect you.' Underneath is a man saying: 'I don't want my children to get stabbed', while a police officer accuses him of being a 'Nazi'. The user who posted the cartoon wrote 'The UK police are compromised' - to which Musk responded: 'Does seem one-sided'.

So-called 'two tier policing' is a claim often used by the far-right in a bid to stir up racial hatred, and implies that police treat certain groups of people in different ways. The clash came as Cabinet ministers blamed social media for allowing hate and fake news to be spread, leading to violent riots by the far-Right that have seen migrant hotels and mosques attacked in the wake of the Southport stabbings a week ago.

False claims spread rapidly on X and other social media platforms that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat a year previously. In fact the 17-year-old suspect was born in Cardiff and has no known links to Islam. Last night hundreds of far-Right activists and anti-racist protesters came face-to-face in Plymouth, where beer bottles, flares and a crutch were flung through the air, leaving police officers injured. And in Birmingham a Sky News van was attacked by a knife-wielding man after members of the Muslim community gathered amid claims far-Right groups would target the Small Heath area. 

Police have also been warned of alleged plans by far-Right groups to hit dozens of immigration targets across Britain on Wednesday night. This morning ministers continued to criticise Elon Musk for claiming 'civil war' in the UK is 'inevitable' as rioting continues. Justice minister Heidi Alexander told Times Radio: 'I agree with what the spokesperson on behalf of the Prime Minister was saying yesterday. I do think these comments are unjustifiable. If you have got a platform, a large social media platform, then you have also got a responsibility. I think it is deeply irresponsible, I think everyone should be appealing for calm. Use of language such as a 'civil war' is in no way acceptable. We are seeing police officers being seriously injured, buildings set alight, and so I really do think that everyone who has a platform should be exercising their power responsibly.'

On the media round on Tuesday she also pledged to 'take a very robust approach to social media companies'. 'There has been some welcome action where there has been automated removal of some false information, but I do think the social media companies could and should be doing more. They have got a moral responsibility not to be propagating and disseminating misleading and inflammatory content on their platforms.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper yesterday said social media has put 'rocket boosters' under such groups. Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned that the spread of disinformation online is 'an existential threat to democracy'.

He told the Edinburgh Fringe festival: 'We've got to wake up, not just as Britain but as democracies collectively, to what is actually a threat to our democracy, to our national security, to trust in politics, which is already kind of rock bottom anyway.' And Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 'Responsibility for harmful social media content principally rests with the individuals and groups who create it. But it is undeniable that social media has provided a platform for this hate.' He held individual meetings with bosses from U.S.-based X, Facebook, Google and TikTok yesterday to make clear their responsibility to 'stop the spread of hateful misinformation and incitement'. No 10 said action taken by the firms so far has not gone far enough. 'There is more that they can and should be doing,' Sir Keir's spokesman said.

After the first emergency Cobra meeting about the riots, Downing Street also put online agitators on notice that they will be brought to justice alongside the rioters themselves. 'Anyone who is guilty of criminal behaviour online, anyone who is whipping up violence online, will face the full force of law.' The landmark Online Safety Act passed by the previous government will mean tech giants face multi-million pound fines if they fail to protect users from illegal content such as messages provoking hatred, disorder or violence. But the duties on the firms will not come into force for several months, as regulator Ofcom is still consulting on its codes of practice and guidance. However, the watchdog said platforms can act now rather than waiting for the law to come into force.

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