Downing Street has accused Elon Musk of spreading "dangerous and inflammatory" language after the tech billionaire made a controversial appearance at a far-right protest in London. The Tesla and X owner told demonstrators at Tommy Robinson's rally to "fight back" or "die" and warned that "violence is coming".
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the rhetoric threatened "violence and intimidation on our streets". He stated: "The UK is a fair, tolerant and decent country. The last thing the British people want is this sort of dangerous and inflammatory language." The spokesman added: "I don't think the British public will have any truck with that kind of language."
Musk also called for an urgent change in government during his guest appearance at Saturday's demonstration. This marks another intervention by the American billionaire in British politics, following his previous social media campaign about grooming gangs in the UK.
Massive turnout and police casualties
Between 110,000 and 150,000 people attended Saturday's protest, significantly exceeding organisers' estimates. The demonstration resulted in 26 police officers being injured, including four seriously hurt, while 24 people were arrested for offences including affray, violent disorder, assault and criminal damage.
Cross-party condemnation
Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) condemned the use of the flag as a symbol of "violence, fear and division" while defending the right to peaceful protest. He said: "Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division."
The Prime Minister also stated he would not stand for "assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin". Cabinet ministers described Musk's intervention as "totally inappropriate".
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Britain's democracy is "too precious to be a plaything for foreign tech barons". He wrote to the Prime Minister, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch (Conservative) and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over the weekend, urging them to condemn the "dangerous" remarks.
Farage's qualified response
Nigel Farage gave an ambiguous response when asked about Musk's language, citing the "context" and a "degree of ambiguity". He said: "If the fight that Musk was talking about was about standing up for our rights and free speech, if it was about fighting in elections to overcome the established parties, then that absolutely is the fight that we're in."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
