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

Downing Avenue has criticised feedback by Elon Musk, who mentioned in a submit on X, previously Twitter, that “civil battle 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 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 in regards to the violent dysfunction in UK cities and cities that individuals who incite violence on-line will likely be prosecuted.

“The legislation applies on-line, so should you’re inciting violence, it would 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 prison exercise – together with from these exterior the UK – isn’t being shared on-line.

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

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

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

She informed the At the moment programme social media corporations aren’t appearing rapidly sufficient to take away “prison 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 stunning misinformation that has escalated a few of this, however then there’s additionally been the deliberate organisation of violence as nicely,” she mentioned.

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

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

This may occasionally embody upsetting violence and harassment, in addition to partaking in rioting.

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

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

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

“There are crimes which have been 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 meanwhile to take away prison 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 situations which might be presupposed to be enforced” – however posts aren’t 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 sequence of agitators”, and wouldn’t touch upon “particular person items of fabric that could be topic to a police investigation or a prison 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 laborious 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 which 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 vogue.”

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 against the law.

Simply three days after the prime minister’s feedback, Mr Musk made his submit 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 individual platform, which amplifies noise on the expense of information”.

In the meantime Sunder Katwala, director of assume tank British Future, mentioned the submit 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 “transferring rapidly” to implement the On-line Security Act, so it may be enforced “as quickly as doable”.

“When it comes totally into drive, tech corporations should assess the chance of unlawful content material on their platforms, take steps to cease it showing and act rapidly to take away it after they grow to be conscious of it,” they mentioned.

“We count on the unlawful harms duties to return into drive from across the finish of the 12 months… and the extra duties on the most important companies in 2026.”