Elon Musk has claimed that “civil war is inevitable” in the UK after a sixth day of disorder across the country.
The billionaire Twitter owner made the comments on X beneath a clip of protesters shooting fireworks at riot police as they squared up to officers.
Downing Street swiftly slapped down his remark.
The impact of social media has been thrust into the spotlight amid the ongoing violence.
Protests have broken out across Britain after three young girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport, near Liverpool.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said rioters who took to the streets of Southport following the deadly attack had “hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery” and vowed they would ”feel the full force of the law”.
Misinformation about the suspect in the attack quickly received millions of views on social media, with the police issuing a warning that the incorrect name of the alleged attacker was circulating online.
Last week Elon Musk engaged with right-wing activist Tommy Robinson on X, hours after the Prime Minister warned that social media “carries responsibility” for tackling misinformation which sparked disorder in parts of the UK.
Mr Musk, who owns the site formerly known as Twitter, responded with two exclamation marks to a post by Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – commenting on the Prime Minister’s response to the disorder in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
Chants of “England till I die” and “Tommy Robinson” have been heard at tense protests in places like Nottingham and Blackpool, where counter protesting punks squared off with right-wing demonstrators.
The billionaire SpaceX and Tesla boss has had a controversial reign at X since taking over the company in 2022, and has been accused of allowing misinformation and other harmful content to flourish on the site since then.
Mr Musk recently reposted a misleading video of US vice president Kamala Harris, and has previously engaged with accounts known to have spread misinformation on a number of topics, including Covid-19 and vaccine safety.
