UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration hit out at the suggestion by the billionaire Elon Musk that Britain is heading for civil war after a week of riots sparked by the murder of three girls last Monday and the spread of misinformation about the perpetrator.
Musk on Sunday said that “civil war is inevitable” on the social media platform X that he owns, in response to a video showing footage of rioting and remarks from another poster that it was the result of “migration and open borders.”
Civil war is inevitable
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2024
“There’s no justification for comments like that,” Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, told reporters on Monday.
Pares also said that events over the weekend — which include attacks on at least two hotels housing immigrants — require an “immediate response” from social media companies, after online forums were used to spread misinformation and organize anti-immigration protests. He added that “state actors” may have been involved in “bot activity” used to propagate the posts.
“Anyone who stokes this violence whether on the internet or in person can be prosecuted and face prison,” Pares said.