Elon Musk’s UK ‘civil struggle’ put up criticised by No 10

Downing Road has criticised feedback by Elon Musk, who stated in a put up on X, previously Twitter, that “civil struggle is inevitable” following unrest within the UK.

Mr Musk made the remarks in response to a video exhibiting folks aiming fireworks at police.

The prime minister’s spokesperson stated there was “no justification” for Mr Musk’s feedback, including there was extra that social media firms “can and ought to be doing”.

It comes after the Prime Minister advised an emergency assembly in regards to the violent dysfunction in UK cities and cities that individuals who incite violence on-line shall be prosecuted.

“The regulation applies on-line, so if you happen to’re inciting violence, it would not matter whether or not it is on-line or offline”, Sir Keir Starmer stated.

And his spokesperson stated social media corporations “have a accountability” to make sure felony exercise – together with from these exterior the UK – is just not being shared on-line.

“Clearly now we have seen bot exercise on-line, a lot of which might be amplified with the involvement of state actors amplifying a number of the disinformation and misinformation that we have seen,” they stated.

However they might not say which international locations the federal government believes are behind the posts.

Earlier the House Secretary Yvette Cooper stated social media corporations wanted to take motion over “stunning misinformation”, on-line agitators and the “organisation of violence”.

She advised the At present programme social media corporations usually are not appearing rapidly sufficient to take away “felony materials” after days of protests in UK cities and cities.

The BBC has approached X, Meta, TikTok and Snap for remark.

The house secretary stated social media firms must “take accountability” over on-line posts encouraging criminality.

“There’s been some stunning misinformation that has escalated a few of this, however then there’s additionally been the deliberate organisation of violence as nicely,” she stated.

“You’ll be able to’t simply have the armchair thuggery of the folks having the ability to incite and organise violence and in addition not face penalties for this.”

Offences regarding incitement beneath UK regulation predate social media, and are listed beneath the Public Order Act 1986.

This may increasingly embody scary violence and harassment, in addition to participating in rioting.

In the meantime the On-line Security Act, which grew to become regulation in 2023 however has not but totally come into impact, would require social media corporations to “take strong motion towards unlawful content material and exercise”, together with “racially or religiously aggravated” offences in addition to inciting violence.

The felony offences launched by the act will cowl sending “threatening communications” on-line, and sharing “false info supposed to trigger non-trivial hurt”.

Ms Cooper stated social media corporations are failing “recognise the affect” of on-line agitators, with some on-line posts in regards to the unrest together with “issues that are clearly already felony”.

“There are crimes which were dedicated on social media in inflaming this and inspiring and selling violence,” she stated.

“There are areas the place the social media firms do have clear necessities in the meanwhile to take away felony materials and ought to be doing so, however generally take too lengthy to take action.”

Ms Cooper stated there are different areas the place corporations have “made commitments round their phrases and situations which are presupposed to be enforced” – however posts usually are not being eliminated.

She stated the federal government was “pursuing this” with social media firms this week.

And when requested particularly about posts made by English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson – actual identify Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – Ms Cooper stated she had seen movies posted by “a sequence of agitators”, and wouldn’t touch upon “particular person items of fabric that might be topic to a police investigation or a felony investigation”.

Anne Craanen, Senior Analysis and Coverage Supervisor on Extremism on the ISD think-tank, stated the connection between on-line exercise and offline violence is “very arduous to evaluate” – however amid latest unrest “the connection is abundantly clear”.

“Platforms have developed disaster response protocols for responding to terrorist and mass-casualty occasions however proceed to wrestle with violent incidents which can result in disinformation which will encourage additional violence,” she stated.

“Platforms, within the case of Southport, didn’t implement their very own Phrases of Service adequately or in a well timed style.”

The prime minister not too long ago criticised the position social media has performed within the unrest, telling corporations final week – and “those that run them” – that “violent dysfunction clearly whipped up on-line” is against the law.

Simply three days after the prime minister’s feedback, Mr Musk made his put up calling civil struggle within the UK “inevitable”.

Mr Musk’s feedback have drawn ire from some on-line, with satirist Armando Iannucci saying the billionaire had been “taken in by your personal platform, which amplifies noise on the expense of info”.

In the meantime Sunder Katwala, director of suppose tank British Future, stated the put up was “spreading a story that’s essential to socialising folks with pretty excessive view in the direction of condoning violence to guard their group”.

He stated there must be “sturdy responses from authorities, Ofcom, and parliament” to the feedback.

An Ofcom spokesperson advised the BBC it’s “shifting rapidly” to implement the On-line Security Act, so it may be enforced “as quickly as potential”.

“When it comes totally into power, tech corporations must assess the chance of unlawful content material on their platforms, take steps to cease it showing and act rapidly to take away it once they turn into conscious of it,” they stated.

“We anticipate the unlawful harms duties to return into power from across the finish of the yr… and the extra duties on the most important companies in 2026.”