Sir Keir Starmer and Elon Musk were last night embroiled in a war of words over the race riots raging in Britain – as the prime minister raged at the billionaire for suggesting ‘civil war is inevitable’ following days of rioting.
Downing Street rebuked the owner of X, formerly Twitter, for using his platform to make the inflammatory claim.
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?’
Downing Street rebuked Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly Twitter , for using his platform to claim that ‘civil war is inevitable’
Yesterday Sir Keir posted a video condemning the violence and warning that criminal justice will be ‘ramped up’
He added: ‘We will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities.’ In response, Mr Musk wrote: ‘Shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?’
Musk had earlier replied to a tweet by right-wing commentator Ashley St Clair, who said far-right rioting was down to ‘the effects of mass migration’, by suggesting ‘civil war is inevitable’
The clash came as Cabinet ministers blamed social media for allowing hate and fake news to be spread, leading to violent protests by the far-Right that have seen migrant hotels and mosques attacked in the wake of the Southport stabbings a week ago.
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.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper yesterday claimed 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.’
The clash came as Cabinet ministers blamed social media for allowing hate and fake news to be spread, leading to violent protests by the far-Right that have seen migrant hotels and mosques attacked in the wake of the Southport stabbings a week ago. Pictured: Far-right protesters in Plymouth on Monday night
Police were out in force and detained far-right protesters in Plymouth on Monday night
Ministers have said X has helped stoke online hate and refused to delete racist comments while allowing controversial activists such as Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate back on the platform. Pictured: Protesters in Plymouth
BIRMINGHAM: Men gesture to the camera as they stand on a roundabout amid rumours of a far-right gathering
PLYMOUTH: Police form a barrier separating protesters in the city as tensions simmer
PLYMOUTH: A man yells at counter-protesters as riot police separate the groups to avoid conflict
PLYMOUTH: An anti-immigration protester clashes with anti-racism protesters in Plymouth tonight
PLYMOUTH: A man faces an anti-racism protester during tense stand-offs in Plymouth
SOUTHPORT: In contrast to riots across the country during anti-immigration protests, locals turned out in Southport to lay flowers and teddies and blow bubbles
SOUTHPORT: In contrast to riots across the country during anti-immigration protests, locals turned out in Southport to lay flowers and teddies and blow bubbles
He held individual meetings with bosses from US-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.
HUDDERSFIELD: Shops in Huddersfield closed early as claims of a planned protest in the town spread on social media
PLYMOUTH: A man is handcuffed and led away by a police officer
PLYMOUTH: Police detain a protester as earlier clashes began to turn ugly
BIRMINGHAM: Pubgoers screamed as protesters faced off against a man outside – before he was kicked to the floor
BIRMINGHAM: Some protesters donned masks to stand on the roundabout – as many have in the riots seen in recent days
BIRMINGHAM: Young men, some in masks, gathered outside a McDonald’s in Bordesley Green, Birmingham amid rumours of a far-right gathering
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.
X has been accused of refusing to delete racist comments while allowing controversial activists such as Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate back on the platform.
The false claim that a Muslim asylum seeker was the suspect in the Southport stabbings was first made on X by a British woman before going viral when it was spread by Russia-linked fake news website Channel3 Now.
And, as the Mail revealed, English Defence League founder Mr Robinson was stoking the race riots with a series of video rants on X while he was on holiday in Cyprus.
But Mr Musk himself has made at least ten comments about the riots – mostly replying to other users and thereby massively increasing their reach.
Mr Musk used his X social media site, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday to reply to a post that blamed ‘mass migration and open borders’ for unrest in the UK
After a prominent account posted a video of rioters setting off fireworks at police and a Right-wing commentator blamed mass migration, Mr Musk replied: ‘Civil war is inevitable.’
Asked about the remark, Sir Keir’s spokesman said: ‘There’s no justification for comments like that.
‘And what we’ve seen is organised violent thuggery that has no place on our streets or online.’
Yesterday Sir Keir posted a video condemning the violence and warning that criminal justice will be ‘ramped up’.
He added: ‘We will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities.’
In response, Mr Musk wrote, in a comment that received 70,000 likes and 12,000 reposts in three hours: ‘Shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on communities?’
The X owner also agreed that UK police ‘seem one-sided’ in response to a cartoon accusing officers of going soft on violent Islamists.
And he added: ‘If incompatible cultures are brought together without assimilation, conflict is inevitable.’
Expert on online disinformation Dr Marc Owen Jones said: ‘Musk is definitely fanning the flames… he is clearly contributing to the problem.’
X did not respond to requests to comment.
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