Elon Musk in war of words with UK prime minister over riot crackdown: 'Britain or Soviet Union?
Riots have continued over the past week as anti-immigrant protesters and right-wing groups clashed with police, believing the suspect in a lethal stabbing came from overseas.
Elon Musk took shots at the British government for how Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has responded to riots over the past week, suggesting the U.K. is headed toward "civil war."
Musk took a few shots at Starmer on social media platform X, which Musk owns, saying in various messages that "civil war is inevitable" asking asking, "why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?" He followed that up with a pithy "#twotierkier" moniker.
He also responded to a video of someone allegedly arrested for offensive online comments with a question, "Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?"
Starmer’s spokesperson said there was "no justification" for Musk’s comments, adding that social media companies "can and should be doing" more to combat misinformation, the BBC reported. He added that such companies "have a responsibility" to stop the spread of criminal activity and limit misinformation.
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Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said Musk’s comments were "totally unjustifiable," going so far as to label them "pretty deplorable."
The United Kingdom remains on edge after a stabbing in Southport, a town about 15 miles outside Liverpool, killed three young girls and wounded others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. Angry mobs the following day attacked two hotels used to house asylum seekers, breaking windows and lighting fires before police dispersed the crowds and residents were evacuated.
The disorder has lasted about a week, with right-wing groups clashing with police across England and parts of Northern Ireland, where anti-immigration sentiment rose to the fore.
Starmer blamed the riots on misinformation that claimed the suspect responsible for the stabbing was a radical Islamist who had recently arrived in Britain. Police had already identified the attacker as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, and they stressed that the incident was not deemed terror-related.
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Suspects under 18 are typically not named in the U.K., but the judge in the case ordered the suspect to be identified to stop the spread of misinformation. The teen has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
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Starmer vowed to use "the full force of the law" against "those who are identified as having taken part" in attacks on mosques and the Muslim community.
Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.