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Elon Musk has once again clashed with Sir Keir Starmer over the riots sweeping the UK, sparking criticism from politicians.
On Monday night, the tech billionaire replied on X to a cartoon that plays into claims that the UK has a “two-tier” policing system, treating communities differently.
In the images are offensive caricatures of two men, one of whom was wearing a headband featuring the Pakistan flag and holding a knife, next to a police officer with the caption: “We are here to protect you.”
Below, a man saying “I don’t want my children to get stabbed” is accused of being a “Nazi” by a police officer.
Responding on X, Mr Musk said: “’Does seem one-sided”.
Downing Street yesterday rejected allegations of “two-tier policing” in the UK, with a spokesperson saying the government does not “recognise that characterisation”.
The billionaire tech boss also responded to a social media post from the prime minister, questioning the government’s decision to provide extra protection for mosques. He asked: “Shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on all communities?”
The comment came after Downing Street condemned remarks made by the owner of X on his own platform, when he stated that “civil war is inevitable”.
Justice minister Heidi Alexander on Tuesday told LBC Radio Mr Musk’s remarks were “totally unjustifiable”.
She said: “We have got police officers being seriously injured on our streets. People are looting buildings.
“They’re setting buildings alight, and for someone who has a big platform, a large following, to be exercising that power in such an irresponsible way, I think is actually pretty unconscionable.”
Ms Alexander added: “I think everyone at the moment should be calling for calm. We have to find a way to tackle this disorder that we’re seeing on our streets and in our communities. We will have, and continue to have, a robust police response. There will be swift and effective justice, but all individuals who have a platform should be behaving responsibly.”
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Former Conservative cabinet minister Rory Stewart replied to Mr Musk on X, saying: “Seriously? Since when have you claimed to understand British communities or British politics? Exactly how many days have you spent with these communities?”
He added: “Does it ever occur to you that this might perhaps be the wrong time to sound off about a subject you know nothing about?”
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said there is “no excuse” for Mr Musk’s remarks, adding: “I’m white and a Christian. No one is chucking bricks at my church or telling me to go back to where I come from. I’m concerned about attacks on the communities that are actually being attacked.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said there is no justification for the original comment that “civil war is inevitable”, adding: “We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain.”
The row comes amid growing claims that social media is fuelling the violent disorder seen across UK cities over the last week.
It threatens to derail government efforts to get social media companies to play a more active role in removing harmful content from their platforms.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle met with the bosses of X, Tiktok, Meta and Google on Monday evening as part of an attempt to “make clear their responsibility to continue to work with us to stop the spread of hateful misinformation and incitement”.