Elon Musk, a close aide to former US president Donald Trump, has launched a series of attacks on the Labour government in recent weeks, sparking fears of violence on the streets
The Government’s counter-extremism unit has been evaluating the potential risk to Britain from tweets shared by Elon Musk in recent weeks, according to the Mirror. The tech tycoon has been utilising his X/Twitter platform to launch a series of attacks on the Labour government over the grooming gangs scandal.
This comes as experts in extremism caution that the toxicity of social media could once again incite violence on our streets. The Home Office has increased its monitoring efforts to assess the content and reach of what is being shared on social media site X, particularly focusing on accounts with large followings – including Mr Musk’s.
The counterterrorism unit has been involved in analysing content and assessing wider risks. This unit is part of the Homeland Security Group, whose “mission is to reduce national security risks to the UK’s people, prosperity and freedoms”.
“It focuses on the highest harm risks to the homeland, whether from terrorists, state actors, or cyber and economic criminals,” states the official government website. A government source revealed: “We keep a close eye on how disinformation and hate can proliferate, including online.”
Surveillance has reportedly intensified after Elon Musk’s scathing attacks on safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. Ms Phillips has confessed that Musk, a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, was “endangering” her by branding her a “rape genocide apologist” and demanding her imprisonment, reports the Mirror.
She is said to have been assigned close protection officers and advised not to venture out alone due to escalated threats to her safety. Musk’s outburst followed the Labour government’s refusal to initiate a new national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
The Prime Minister, advocating for “action” over further inquiries, condemned “those who are spreading lies and misinformation” on Monday, stating that the tech mogul had “crossed a line” with his tirade leading to severe threats against Ms Phillips. Concerns about Musk’s meddling in UK politics surged on Thursday amid rumours he’s exploring ways to oust Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
Insiders revealed to the Financial Times that Musk fears “western civilisation itself is threatened” and is probing methods to undermine the Labour government beyond his contentious social media posts.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at the campaign group Hope not hate, didn’t mince his words when he said “clearly this is naked foreign interference” regarding Mr Musk, who he believes “comfortably sits within any definition of an extremist”. To the Mirror, he explained: “He is an international extremist and if he wasn’t a billionaire and he wasn’t close to the Trump administration, I imagine, probably wouldn’t even be allowed into the UK at the moment.”
He went on to warn about the dangers linked to online toxicity, saying, “Both the behaviour of Mr Musk himself and the platform that he has created, and the levels of toxicity on that platform have already contributed to extreme violence on the streets of Britain, and there is a strong chance as we’ve seen time and time again, that when you allow these online spaces to become this extreme and this toxic, people go and kill people.”
The government’s latest take on extremism defines it as promoting or supporting ideologies based on violence, hatred, or intolerance, aiming to undermine fundamental human rights, democracy, or democratic rights in the UK, including actions that deliberately foster an environment for such extreme ideologies to flourish.
John Woodcock, the government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, issued a stern warning to Elon Musk in an interview with the Mirror: “Britain’s democracy isn’t a play thing for foreign billionaires – Elon Musk needs to back off and concentrate on his rockets and his cars or whatever he wants to obsess about next. Our electoral laws rightly forbid foreign donations and my recent review warns against our information channels being deliberately manipulated from abroad. We should be watching closely to ensure that doesn’t happen here.”
Former defence minister John Spellar also voiced concerns over the potential influence of oligarchs on a country’s political state. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “It is not unknown. It may be a modern manifestation – it may be that social media amplifies this – but very rich, powerful people over a long, long time tried to sway other countries.”
Lord Spellar expressed his reluctance to appear “complacent”, suggesting that while Mr Musk’s influence on social media could be “impactful”, it might not endure.
He hinted at a possible “clash of egos” between Mr Musk and Donald Trump that could lead to a fallout, or a commercial backlash from the car industry against the Tesla owner.
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