The British government is intentionally “replacing the British nation with hostile, violent, aggressive migrants” who will vote for them, according to right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson, who also believes that Islam is “a mental health issue rather than a religion of peace.”
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been in a British jail cell since October for contempt of court as well as spreading false claims about an underage Syrian refugee in a video titled, “Silenced.”
He was also convicted of several prior crimes, including assault and fraud. He was formerly a member of the British National Party, a fascist UK political party; as well as the leader of the far-right, anti-Islamist, English Defense League.
But Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and US President Donald Trump’s biggest supporter, regularly uses his account on his social media platform X as a soapbox to call for Robinson’s release from prison, ostensibly in the name of free speech. Robinson, Musk has said, is behind bars for telling the “truth.”
According to British media outlets, Musk is also helping Robinson financially. In a statement on X, Robinson’s team thanked Musk and his X team for their “unexpected and generous assistance” in two legal cases. Among other things, these involve a new court case in which Robinson has been accused of violating anti-terrorism laws. A DW request for comment from X’s press department went unanswered.
Musk elevating Robinson’s profile
But what’s behind Musk’s generosity? Robinson is unpopular in the UK. A recent poll by the research institute More in Common found that only 12% of respondents had a favorable view of the right-wing agitator, while 46% held a negative opinion. Musk hasn’t helped his popularity with his efforts either: A majority of Britons surveyed said they wanted the tech billionaire to stay out of politics and concentrate on ridding his social media platform of hate speech instead.
But Musk doesn’t appear to be interested in that — quite the opposite. He has helped elevate Robinson’s profile by restoring his Twitter account — which had been blocked by the company in 2018 — after he bought the platform in October 2022. Now Robinson, who has more than 1 million followers, can once again spread his message.
Robinson’s message got a further boost last summer when three young girls were killed in a knife attack in the northern English city of Southport. Robinson incited his followers to take to the streets; race riots ensued. Musk also got involved, criticizing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his response and saying that “civil war is inevitable.” Since then, Musk has gone further, accusing Starmer of turning the UK into a police state and calling for his resignation.
Is Musk intentionally spreading misinformation?
Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nongovernmental organization, said the X owner is intentionally spreading misinformation, giving extremist voices a platform to garner more clicks and thus increase his profits. Musk, as Ahmed told DW, has transformed X into a platform that accelerates the spread of hate and disinformation in British society.
Tim Bale, a political scientist at Queen Mary University of London, goes a step further. He thinks Musk is trying to undermine trust in the UK government because its politicians are attempting to rein in the power of the US tech giant with new laws.
The Online Safety Act, passed in October 2023, is indeed something that affects online platforms like X. The law requires them to remove all illegal or harmful content or face fines equivalent to up to 10% of their revenue.
Musk campaigning for Germany’s AfD
Is the European establishment a thorn in Musk’s side for the same reason? The EU wants to use its Digital Services Act to limit the spread of false information on social media platforms, and has placed the burden for ensuring this happens on the tech behemoths themselves — casting a particularly stern eye at Musk and X.
Many EU parliamentarians have called for immediate measures, even more so since Musk began openly championing Germany’s far-right AfD — which has in part been labeled extremist. In early January, Musk described AfD co-leader Alice Weidel as “Germany’s most popular chancellor candidate,” and spent more than an hour chatting with her live on X. A few days later, he made an appearance at the AfD’s party conference via video.
Musk regularly insults German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, referring to him as “Oaf Schitz.” And Vera Jourova, the former EU commissioner for values and transparency, was forced to sit by as he railed against her as “the epitome of banal bureaucratic evil.”
Parth Patel from the progressive think tank IPPR is concerned that conspiracy theories could eventually enter the British mainstream thanks to Musk’s efforts. “It’s plausible that he will be successful in indoctrinating people to that point of view, and if he does, it will be very dangerous,” he said.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/is-elon-musk-aiding-a-british-right-wing-extremist/a-71440001
