Elon Musk has called Prime Minister Keir a “two-tier” in reference to a conspiracy theory that police are treating white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minority groups.
The billionaire owner of X promoted the idea which was spread by Tommy Robinson and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage amid a series of far-right riots in towns and cities across England and Belfast.
In a series of tweets directed at Keir Starmer, Musk, one of the world’s richest men, also questioned whether the riots were happening in Britain or the Soviet Union, in response to a video purportedly showing someone being arrested for making offensive comments on Facebook.
Musk’s provocative remarks come after Downing Street criticised him on Monday for posting that “civil war is inevitable” beneath a video of violent riots in Liverpool.
Starmer’s spokesman said the violence came from a small minority of people who “do not speak for Britain” and said the prime minister did not share the sentiments of Musk, who had previously been criticised for allowing far-right figures back onto his social media platform.
“There is no justification for comments like that,” the spokesman said. “What we have seen in this country is organised violence that has no place on our streets or on the internet.
“We are talking about a minority of thugs who do not speak for Britain and in response to that we have seen some of the best in our communities come out to clean up the mess and the disruption caused by those who do not speak for our country, and we have seen the response from people who do speak for our country. I think you can tell from that that the Prime Minister does not share those sentiments.”
Responding to the “two-tier” policing theory circulating on social media, ministers dismissed claims that police were treating groups differently.
Shabana Mahmood, the attorney general, posted on X on Tuesday: “No matter who you are or what you’re protesting, if you show up wearing a mask, carrying a gun, and intending to riot, you will face the full force of the law. To those who work with police and community organizations with pride and civic duty: you are the best of us.”
On Monday, Farage condemned the street unrest, saying “these levels of intimidation and threats to life have no place in a functioning democracy.”
But he went on to say there was a widespread perception of “two-tier policing”, which he said was contributing to a “sense of injustice”.