Elon Musk hits back at Sir Keir Starmer after 'civil war' comments dismissed
Musk, the billionaire owner of X, made his original comments on the social media platform below a video of rioters setting off fireworks at police.
Monday 5 August 2024 22:31, UK
A war of words has broken out between Elon Musk and the prime minister after the world's richest man claimed the UK is heading for civil war.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X, started a row with Downing Street over riots gripping the UK, amid concerns online disinformation is fuelling the unrest.
UK riots latest: 'Off the scale' policing challenges as rival protests face off
In a comment on his social media site below a video of rioters setting off fireworks at police, Musk said "civil war is inevitable".
This was quickly rejected by the prime minister's spokesperson, who said there is "no justification for comments like that" and "anyone who is whipping up violence online will face the full force of the law".
Musk then replied to a social media post from Sir Keir which criticised violence towards Muslims.
Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been among the targets of the far-right demonstrations.
Sir Keir said the unrest "is not protest, it is pure violence", adding: "We will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities".
Musk replied: "Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?".
The row risks threatening government efforts to get social media companies to take more responsibility for removing harmful online content believed to be stoking some of the violence.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle met with the bosses of Tiktok, Meta, Google and X on Monday evening "to make clear their responsibility to continue to work with us to stop the spread of hateful misinformation and incitement".
Speaking after the meeting, the cabinet minister added: "There is a significant amount of content circulating that platforms need to be dealing with at pace.
"Different companies take different approaches and I expect platforms to ensure that those seeking to spread hate online are not being facilitated and have nowhere to hide."
Sir Keir earlier chaired an emergency COBRA committee on the riots, in which he said that anyone whipping up violence online will face "the full force of the law".
"If you're inciting violence, it doesn't matter whether it's online or offline," the prime minister said.
"And therefore I expect, just as in relation to those that are directly participating on the streets, for there to be arrests and charging and prosecution.
"Equally, anyone who has been found to have committed a criminal offence online can expect the same response."
Read more:
Why are riots happening in UK?
Asylum seekers 'slept in woods' as hotel targeted
More than 400 people have been arrested since riots started last Tuesday.
On Monday evening, Devon and Cornwall Police said arrests were made after a police van was damaged and officers were met with "a level of violence" during demonstrations in Plymouth.
Several countries have issued safety warnings to their citizens in the UK due to the riots, including Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia.
However calls for the army to be brought in have so far been dismissed, with the government insisting the police already have the resources needed to respond.
The riots began in Southport following the arrest of Axel Rudakubana, who is charged with the murder of three young girls and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine and Bebe King, six, all died in a knife attack in the Merseyside town last Monday.
Misinformation online said the person arrested was a Muslim refugee who arrived in the UK last year via a small boat.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents before moving to a village near Southport.
Andrew Tate, the controversial influencer, amplified the false narrative, saying that the attacker was an "illegal migrant".
Separately, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage questioned if the police, who had said the attack was not "terror-related", were being truthful.
Sir Keir said there is "an army" of specialist police officers on standby to tackle any further violent disorder.
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The prime minister also announced criminal justice will be "ramped up", with courts opening for longer hours.
He has requested for those who are charged to be named at the earliest possible moment.
Sir Keir added: "Whatever the apparent motivation, this is not protest - it is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities."