LONDON: Social media platform X played a “central role” in amplifying false and inflammatory content targeting Muslims and migrants after the deadly Southport attack in Britain last year, according to research released by Amnesty International on Wednesday.

The report accuses X’s algorithm systems and weakened content moderation policies of facilitating the spread of harmful narratives that contributed to real-world violence and anti-Muslim sentiment in the United Kingdom.

Three girls were fatally stabbed in Southport on July 29 last year by Axel Rudakubana, a British national born in Wales.

Despite the suspect’s background, false claims spread rapidly online alleging he was a Muslim asylum seeker. Within hours, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant content surged, leading to attacks on mosques and shelters housing migrants.

Amnesty’s technical analysis revealed that X’s recommender system prioritises content that provokes outrage and engagement, with little regard for the potential harm. “As long as a post drives engagement, the algorithm appears to have no mechanism to assess the damage it may cause, unless users flag it manually,” the report states.

One such post by an account known for Islamophobic content, falsely linking the attacker to immigration and Islam, reached over four million views. Posts repeating similar falsehoods gained a staggering 27 million impressions within 24 hours.

Amnesty linked this surge in hate to major changes at X under Elon Musk, including mass layoffs of moderation staff, the disbanding of safety teams, and the reinstatement of banned accounts such as that of far-right agitator Tommy Robinson.

“These design and policy choices created fertile ground for hate to thrive,” said Pat de Brun of Amnesty. “They continue to pose a serious human rights risk.”

Elon Musk has not issued any direct response to the Amnesty International’s analysis. Amnesty confirmed that it had sent its findings in a formal letter to X on July 18, but X had not responded by the time of the report’s release on Wednesday Aug 6.

Musk has previously made public comments on the platform related to the incident, notably tweeting on Aug 5 last year during the riots following the Southport murders, declaring that “civil war is inevitable” as tensions surged around slavery and immigration themes.

These statements were widely criticised, including by the British government, which accused him of contributing to escalating violence.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025