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Over the past few days, the billionaire has posted incendiary comments about violent protests on the social media platform he controls, drawing the ire of the prime minister.
Aug. 7, 2024, 8:06 a.m. ET
As he tries to quell violent outbreaks across Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also embroiled in a war of words with Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and owner of the social media platform X.
Over the past few days, Mr. Musk has posted incendiary comments and shared memes and videos about the riots in Britain to his more than 193 million follows on X. Violence has flared in towns across the country over the past week amid widespread misinformation after a deadly stabbing attack in Southport, England, last week, in which three girls died at a dance class.
“Civil war is inevitable,” Mr. Musk posted on X on Sunday in response to a video that showed small fires in the streets, fireworks being set off, and rioters confronting police.
A spokesperson for Mr. Starmer said there was “no justification” for Mr. Musk’s comments. Since then, Mr. Musk has continued to post comments directed at the prime minister.
“Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain? @Keir_Starmer,” Mr. Musk posted on Tuesday. He added “#TwoTierKeir,” a reference to the far-right claim that there is a policy of two-tier policing in which far-right groups are policed more heavily that others. (A government minister on Wednesday rejected those accusations.)
On Tuesday, Mr. Musk replied to a post on X that said “Britain is turning into the Soviet Union,” adding: “Seriously.”
