Elon Musk, the world's richest man and owner of the social media platform X, has intensified his rhetoric by suggesting that the UK is on the verge of "civil war" following more than a week of right-wing riots.
Musk's provocative remarks were made in response to a video circulating on his platform, which allegedly shows rioters clashing with British police. The unrest erupted across several towns and cities in the UK after the tragic deaths of three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport, northwest England.
The violence was fueled by false rumors that the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, 17, was a Muslim asylum-seeker. These claims led to a wave of attacks targeting hotels housing asylum-seekers and mosques, resulting in hundreds of arrests. However, police confirmed that Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff and had lived near Southport, was not an asylum-seeker.
On Tuesday, Musk took to X to share his views on what he perceives as 'two-tier policing' in the UK. In one of his posts, he shared a video from US right-wing influencer Andy Ngo, showing men in balaclavas waving Palestinian flags, allegedly attacking a pub while searching for right-wingers. Musk captioned the video with a question: "Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?" He later added the hashtag “#TwoTierKeir” to the post, which has garnered over 10 million views.
Downing Street has rejected Musk’s claims of 'two-tier' policing, with a spokesperson stating that the government does not recognize this characterization.
Despite the government's stance, Musk’s comments have stoked further debate about the nature of policing and justice in the UK, highlighting the deepening divisions and tensions within the country.
* The Independent and NBC News contributed to this article.