LONDON: As far-right riots grip England, provocative tech billionaire Elon Musk is posting sympathy for the anti-immigration demonstrators, angering the UK government, which blames social media companies for fuelling the unrest.

The week-long disturbances that have spread to numerous cities are linked to misinformation online that the suspect behind a mass stabbing that killed three girls was a Muslim asylum seeker.

A war of words between X owner Musk and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recently elected Labour administration began on Sunday when Musk tweeted that a British “civil war is inevitable”.

Starmer’s spokesperson said Monday there was “no justification” for the comment, only for Musk to respond with a stream of posts Tuesday questioning the British leader’s response to the riots.

Musk also referenced a dubious claim about policing that has been widely denied by lawmakers from across the political spectrum and police chiefs.

“Use of language such as a ‘civil war’ is in no way acceptable,” Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said on Tuesday, branding Musk’s comments “deeply irresponsible”.

“We are seeing police officers being seriously injured, buildings set alight, and so I really do think that everyone who has a platform should be exercising their power responsibly,” she told Times Radio.

The riots follow the murder on Monday last week of three girls aged between six and nine at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport, northwest England.

The suspect is 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Britain, reportedly to immigrants from Rwanda.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024