Elon Musk Sparks Controversy, Calling the UK a ‘Tyrannical Police State’

[Social Media]

 

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter) and adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has reignited tensions with the British government, labeling the United Kingdom a “tyrannical police state” in a weekend tirade. Musk, who commands an audience of over 200 million on X, also shared a controversial documentary by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, raising fresh questions about his political stance and influence.  

 

Musk’s remarks come amid an ongoing feud with Britain’s new Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He criticized the administration’s policies and posted a graph highlighting Starmer’s declining approval ratings, captioning it with: “The voice of the people is a great antidote.” Musk has consistently painted Britain under Starmer as a nation struggling with authoritarianism and inequities in its justice system.  

 

Over the summer, Musk became particularly vocal about the UK after the tragic killing of three schoolgirls in Southport. He criticized the police response, accused Starmer of presiding over a “two-tier” justice system biased against white citizens, and spread unverified claims about the incident.

 

His rhetoric escalated, with Musk predicting “civil war is inevitable” in Britain. Downing Street dismissed his claims but notably excluded him from a high-profile investment summit in the fall. Efforts to repair relations between Musk and British officials have since been reported, though tensions remain.  

 

This weekend, Musk reignited controversy by questioning the imprisonment of Tommy Robinson, a British far-right figurehead jailed earlier this year for breaching a court order. Robinson had admitted to spreading false and defamatory claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy in a documentary. Musk not only voiced skepticism about Robinson’s imprisonment but also shared the activist’s documentary with his followers, amplifying its reach significantly.  

 

Prime Minister Starmer’s office responded diplomatically to the uproar. A spokesperson stated that Starmer “looks forward to working with President Trump and his whole team, including Elon Musk,” to strengthen the UK-U.S. relationship. The statement sidestepped Musk’s direct criticisms and emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two nations.  

 

Musk’s increasingly combative stance toward Britain has raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics argue that his comments risk inflaming social divisions and undermining international relations. His amplification of far-right narratives, in particular, has drawn condemnation, with many questioning the implications of his platform ownership on global discourse.  

 

As Musk continues to leverage his influence in the realms of politics and media, his remarks about the UK highlight the complex interplay between technology, power, and international diplomacy. For Britain, managing its relationship with Musk—a figure whose opinions can ripple across millions—presents a unique challenge amid shifting political dynamics.

 

Based on a report by Politico 2024-11-27

 

 

 

[KhunLA]

To the title, sadly he is correct, and the UK isn't alone in that description 

[Gsxrnz]

Airstrip One is most definitely a police state. Detaining people merely for what they think or utter is the epitome of a police state. QED. 

[JonnyF]

I don't see the controversy here. The UK is clearly a police state.

 

The only controversy is that he failed to mention it is also a 2 tier system. 

[JimHuaHin]

Maybe Musk should look in the mirror.

[James105]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Robinson had admitted to spreading false and defamatory claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy in a documentary.

 

No, he has not.  He admitted to breaching a court order.  The claims he made were confirmed (albeit with secret recording) by witnesses including the teachers, but the judge decided to believe the "mostly peaceful" Syrian boy instead.   He has never admitted to spreading false claims. 

[Chomper Higgot]

The Space Karen obviously doesn’t like being called to testify before a Parliamentary inquiry.

 

 

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The Space Karen obviously doesn’t like being called to testify before a Parliamentary inquiry.

 

 

 

He seems to find it hilarious. Rightfully so. 😆

[Chomper Higgot]

13 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

He seems to find it hilarious. Rightfully so. 😆

I doubt very much his lawyers do.

[JonnyF]

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

I doubt very much his lawyers do.

 

I very much doubt he bothered to contact his lawyers.

 

Too busy laughing. 😃

[daveAustin]

Musk is bang on. He should be running Britain. Heck, I'd sooner have a baboon in charge than the unfeeling, smug git that is currently in Number 10 ... BY DEFAULT!! 

[stevenl]

So an advisor to the president elect spouts this without a rebuttal from the president elect.

That is a telling message from trump.

[spidermike007]

This is a man who has not worn his wealth and his power with grace. He seems to be increasingly annoying and he seems to say increasingly mindless stuff as time goes along. I for one hope he volunteers for his own Mars mission, build a house on Mars and just stays there. I find him very annoying.

 

Jeff Bezos on the other hand seems to pretty much keep to himself, and avoid constant demonstration of extreme ignorance. 

 

 

[jippytum]

Not quite there yet Elon Starmers only had a few months to work on that. 

[mikeymike100]

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The Space Karen obviously doesn’t like being called to testify before a Parliamentary inquiry.

 

 

Musk doesn't care about being called before an inquiry, why should he, of course they could always go to him?

They could put it all on expenses and get the taxpayer to pay,

[mikeymike100]

3 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

Maybe Musk should look in the mirror.

Why?

[JonnyF]

20 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So an advisor to the president elect spouts this without a rebuttal from the president elect.

That is a telling message from trump.

 

Why would Trump stop criticism of a party whose head of operations sent UK citizens to campaign against him in the election?

 

Like most things, Labour didn't really think that through.

[ElwoodP]

Post deliberately misspelling UK PMs name removed.

If you want your posts to remain, spell their name correctly.

[James105]

15 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a man who has not worn his wealth and his power with grace. He seems to be increasingly annoying and he seems to say increasingly mindless stuff as time goes along. I for one hope he volunteers for his own Mars mission, build a house on Mars and just stays there. I find him very annoying.

 

Uncomfortable truths continue to be uncomfortable for leftists is what I read from this.   

[spidermike007]

Just now, James105 said:

 

Uncomfortable truths continue to be uncomfortable for leftists is what I read from this.   

First of all I'm not a leftist, I'm a Centrist Democrat. If you want to call me a communist or a social socialist or a leftist go ahead, but for me it's just junk, and nonsense. Be nonsensical if you want, if it makes you feel good.

 

I have no problem with hearing truth or opinions, I just think Musk is a highly ignorant man and sometimes I wish he would keep that ignorance to himself. This is not partisan, this is just reality. It's possible you can't separate the two. 

[stevenl]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Why would Trump stop criticism of a party whose head of operations sent UK citizens to campaign against him in the election?

 

Like most things, Labour didn't really think that through.

Into party politics much? Please show me where the criticism is of the labour party in this.

"labeling the United Kingdom a “tyrannical police state” in a weekend tirade".

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I have no problem with hearing truth or opinions, I just think Musk is a highly ignorant man and sometimes I wish he would keep that ignorance to himself. This is not partisan, this is just reality. It's possible you can't separate the two. 

If Musk had been on Kamala's side, you wouldn't have a problem.

We all know this.

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Into party politics much? Please show me where the criticism is of the labour party in this.

"labeling the United Kingdom a “tyrannical police state” in a weekend tirade".

He's sort of right though, the two tier police arresting Jeremy Clarkson just proves his claim.

[JonnyF]

9 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Please show me where the criticism is of the labour party in this.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/06/elon-musk-calls-pm-two-tier-keir-over-police-response-to-uk-riots?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

 

[mikeymike100]

Once again Elon Musk is correct, the UK has become a tyrannical police state,

Writing comments on facebook, or twitter can get you a prison sentence, while real criminals are set free!

[stevenl]

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/06/elon-musk-calls-pm-two-tier-keir-over-police-response-to-uk-riots?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

 

Want to start a new thread about that? This one is about how Musk sees the UK 

[Donga]

Love the way the luvvie media call anything right of Centre as Far Right.

Meloni in Italy, Milei in Argentina and Orban in Hungary (major sin - secure the borders) all democratically elected, labelled far right,  as they lead their countries back to health.

Can anyone tell me what constitutes Far Right these days? It looks like if you believe a country has a right to protect it's borders, strives to minimise government largesse, reduce green bureaucracy, eliminate policies that are racially divisive, is now considered far right.

Then the pile on with Musk is breathtaking, and do luvvies really think he cares 😅

[UWEB]

32 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Why?

To see an Idiot?

[James105]

19 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

First of all I'm not a leftist, I'm a Centrist Democrat. If you want to call me a communist or a social socialist or a leftist go ahead, but for me it's just junk, and nonsense. Be nonsensical if you want, if it makes you feel good.

 

I have no problem with hearing truth or opinions, I just think Musk is a highly ignorant man and sometimes I wish he would keep that ignorance to himself. This is not partisan, this is just reality. It's possible you can't separate the two. 

 

He is observing (correctly) that the UK is becoming an authoritarian police state that is policing certain political opinions and arresting and jailing people for these opinions.  Maybe "centrist democrats" do not want to hear these uncomfortable truths but I personally think that someone with as much reach as Musk has should use his voice to highlight this.   Maybe if enough voices tell Starmer that he is in the wrong it will eventually seep into his thick skull and he will be shamed into resigning.  

 

I haven't seen him post anything about the clowns in the UK government that I would consider "ignorant".  

[JonnyF]

13 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Want to start a new thread about that? This one is about how Musk sees the UK 

 

I trust you are aware that Keir Starmer is leader of the Labour party and the UK's Prime Minister, who Musk has directly attacked on Twitter?

 

He has also strongly criticized the UK as a whole. Multiple times. Here is one example. 

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/elon-musk-brand-uk-tyrannical-police-state/