Elon Musk’s UK ‘civil battle’ publish criticised by No 10

Downing Avenue has criticised feedback by Elon Musk, who mentioned in a publish on X, previously Twitter, that “civil battle is inevitable” following unrest within the UK.

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

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

It comes after the Prime Minister informed an emergency assembly concerning the violent dysfunction in UK cities and cities that individuals who incite violence on-line might be prosecuted.

“The legislation applies on-line, so in case you’re inciting violence, it does not matter whether or not it is on-line or offline”, Sir Keir Starmer mentioned.

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

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

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

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

She informed the In the present day programme social media corporations should not appearing shortly sufficient to take away “legal materials” after days of protests in UK cities and cities.

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

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

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

“You possibly can’t simply have the armchair thuggery of the folks with the ability to incite and organise violence and in addition not face penalties for this.”

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

This may increasingly embody frightening violence and harassment, in addition to partaking in rioting.

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

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

Ms Cooper mentioned social media corporations are failing “recognise the impression” of on-line agitators, with some on-line posts concerning the unrest together with “issues that are clearly already legal”.

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

“There are areas the place the social media firms do have clear necessities in the mean time to take away legal materials and must be doing so, however typically take too lengthy to take action.”

Ms Cooper mentioned there are different areas the place corporations have “made commitments round their phrases and circumstances which are speculated to be enforced” – however posts should not being eliminated.

She mentioned 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 mentioned she had seen movies posted by “a collection of agitators”, and wouldn’t touch upon “particular person items of fabric that could be topic to a police investigation or a legal investigation”.

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

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

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

The prime minister not too long ago criticised the function 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 a criminal offense.

Simply three days after the prime minister’s feedback, Mr Musk made his publish calling civil battle 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 details”.

In the meantime Sunder Katwala, director of assume tank British Future, mentioned the publish 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 mentioned there must be “robust responses from authorities, Ofcom, and parliament” to the feedback.

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

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

“We count on the unlawful harms duties to come back into power from across the finish of the 12 months… and the extra duties on the most important providers in 2026.”