A UK police chief has issued a warning to Elon Musk, addressing concerns over recent actions or statements, and highlighting potential legal implications.
The commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police has issued a warning that foreigners could be charged for inciting online hatred, with prominent figures like X owner Elon Musk being mentioned as potential targets for prosecution. This statement comes in the midst of a countrywide effort to combat hate speech following several instances of right-wing unrest.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley announced on Sky News that individuals will face the full extent of legal consequences for their actions, whether they are committing offenses in-person within the country or remotely online. He stated “We will come after you.”
Rowley was asked if the Metropolitan Police intended to pursue legal action against individuals who post on social media from foreign countries. He stated that simply being a “keyboard warrior” does not grant immunity from prosecution, and mentioned Elon Musk as someone who may potentially be investigated.
Since Friday, over 700 individuals had been apprehended and over 300 of them indicted for their presumed involvement in the riots. The incidents were instigated after a Rwandan adolescent murdered three children and wounded ten others during a stabbing rampage in Southport town at the end of last month.
At first, a misguided rumor that the perpetrator behind the stabbings was an immigrant of Muslim faith sparked outrage. However, this initial sentiment quickly escalated into more widespread animosity towards Islam and immigration as a whole. This culminated in violent riots where individuals set fire to a hotel catering for asylum seekers located in Rotherham on Sunday past.
Out of the individuals who were arrested, over 30 have been accused of committing online crimes such as distributing videos related to riots or creating content that, according to the Crown Prosecutorial Service, “encourages violence or discrimination.”
The government has been accused by critics, Elon Musk included, of suppressing freedom of expression and enforcing an unfair legal system that penalizes white British offenders much more harshly than immigrants.
On Saturday, Musk drew attention to the contrast in outcomes for Steven Mailen and Mustafa al Mbaidib. Last week, Mailen was sentenced to over two years of imprisonment after yelling and making gestures at a police officer during a violent protest in Hartlepool; whereas, just last month, 27-year-old Jordanian citizen Al Mbaidib received only a fine of £26 ($33) for assaulting a female police officer back in May while being held on charges.
Musk posted on X expressing his belief that there is unequal justice present in the UK. Additionally, he shared several memes drawing comparisons between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a Nazi officer, as well as likening the actions of the British government to those of George Orwell’s totalitarian dictatorship depicted in “1984”.
On Friday, The Telegraph reported that Starmer is contemplating modifying the Online Safety Act of Britain to penalize social media firms for permitting “legal but harmful” material. Originally, such a clause was meant to be included in the legislation by the country’s previous Conservative government; however, it was ultimately omitted after objections from Business and Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch who claimed that it amounted to “legislating for hurt feelings.”
