Violent protests and riots have erupted across multiple cities in Britain, partly fueled by online misinformation and false claims about a Southport stabbing suspect's identity, leading to anti-immigrant demonstrations and disorder.
Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, has taken a combative stance, declaring that civil war is inevitable in the UK and criticizing the British government's response, while suggesting that police are cracking down harder on white people than minorities.
The British government, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticized Musk's remarks as unjustifiable and called for calm, warning social media companies about allowing violent disorder to spread online and holding them responsible.
The right-wing English Defense League, labeled by the British government as a nativist and racist group, claims to resist Islamic extremists and protect the country's identity, while their opponents accuse them of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments.
The unrest was triggered by misinformation and false rumors alleging an attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop for children was carried out by a Muslim. Anti-immigrant and Islamophobic crowds attacked hotels and mosques.
Sources: Washington Post, WSJ, Washington Times, MarketWatch, National Post, The Conservative Treehouse.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
