The concept of biased law enforcement, where the super-rich instigator is treated differently from those less affluent who are swayed by their influence, is widely propagated by far-right groups in the UK. This perception, though grounded in an entirely distinct context, holds some truth. The less influential are subjected to the full force of legal repercussions while renowned disinformation spreaders like Elon Musk remain untouched by the hands of the law. This biased legal treatment severely undermines democracy’s efforts for self-preservation.
A recent incident involved the arrest of a 55-year-old woman in England for falsely “naming” a suspect in a triple homicide case on social media. Chief superintendent Alison Ross emphasised the risks of circulating unchecked information on social platforms, reminding us of our personal responsibility for our actions online and offline.
Two young men faced imprisonment last week- one for twenty months, and the other for over three years- over their incendiary social media activities. One of them, in his naivety, posting under his real name, confidently claimed that watching abundant CSI programming would keep him out of police custody.
Indeed, this trend is set to continue, with its influence extending to Ireland, as far-right factions there have close connections to their UK and Northern Ireland counterparts, sharing the same disinformation channels. Thus, the reactions to online instigation must also be uniform. More individuals spreading unfounded narratives instigating attacks on immigrants, religious minorities, and asylum seekers will be prosecuted.
However, the naive who fall into this trap are just the tip of the iceberg. Often, they’ve been lured in by the addictive algorithms utilised by social media platforms, leading to their mental conditioning by a ceaseless onslaught of conspiracy theories and hateful content.
Thus, the battle against disinformation closely mirrors the war on drugs. The contemporary world witnessed a colossal disaster when drug users were incarcerated under strict policies, resulting in devastating impacts on individuals, families and communities. Yet, this strategy did nothing to curb the profitable drug industry flourishing due to relentless suppliers.
Elon Musk, known for his business acumen, is fast earning the moniker of the ‘Pablo Escobar of Distorted Misinformation.’ His deceptions aren’t isolated incidents but rather a well-oiled assembly line of fabrication, with Musk involved in making, taking in, and spreading of falsehoods.
As violence propagated by far-right groups reached a terrifying peak in both England and Northern Ireland last week, Musk took the opportunity to fan the flames of insurrectionists’ propaganda. He echoed the conspiracy trope of ‘two-tier policing’, pejoratively nicknaming Keir Starmer as ‘two-tier Kier’. He spurred his followers on towards a paranoia-fuelled endgame, prophesying an unavoidable civil war. Furthermore, he disseminated a fabricate Telegraph article—actually a creation of the fascist Britain First party—which falsely claimed Starmer was contemplating shipping rioters off to temporary detention centres in the Falklands.
All of these actions aren’t random but rather deliberate acts of incitement. Musk stooped to the level of a fascist agitator, skilfully using a platform (X) he owns and controls where 193 million audience members eagerly await his every word. He has knowingly made this platform accessible to like-minded extremists.
Musk’s alliance with English fascist Tommy Robinson is far from covert. Robinson resurfaced on Platform X last November courtesy of Musk, responding amicably to his post and aired a so-called ‘documentary’ produced by Robinson, even though it faced contempt of court charges. Thanks to Musk’s influence, Robinson’s tweets during the riotous weekend amassed over 160 million reads, as revealed by the Tortoise website.
His pattern of stirring up controversy doesn’t solely rely on the fact that sensational content boosts Platform X’s business model. Musk seems personally committed to ruffling feathers on the far-right.
Increasingly over time, Musk’s behaviour appears to be mirroring that of his father, who was notorious for his affinity for outlandish conspiracy theories. Musk Senior once infamously sent an email to his son saying, that without white people in their native South Africa, black people “would revert to a primitive lifestyle,” and made scathing comments about Joe Biden, labelling him a “despicable, criminal, paedophile leader,” according to a biography on Elon penned by Walter Isaacson.
Musk seems to have taken on his father’s penchant for besmirching people he doesn’t approve of with paedophile accusations. The extent of his casual attitude towards violence against politicians and their relatives came to light following an assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who was targeted by a trespasser wielding a hammer at their residence. Musk urged his fanbase to visit a right-wing conspiracy site which unfairly suggested that Paul Pelosi sustained injuries during a clash with a male sex worker, adding cheekily that the narrative may have unexplored layers to it.
The past week’s incidents signify that Musk’s inhibitions are significantly decreased. He is fully allied with the right-wing belief that conflicts between nationalists and globalists have already been initiated. His tweet on the English riots stated that “Conflict is unavoidable when disparate cultures fail to blend,” essentially blaming Muslim business owners for not adopting white, Christian identities.
The query thus becomes – how will democratic nations react? The EU Commission seems to be the sole political body with any real resolve to confront Musk head on, having provisionally determined last month that X is violating the Digital Services Act on the grounds of deceptive ‘verified accounts’, non-transparent advertising promotions and its refusal to provide real-time data to combat false information.
While this move is positive, being found guilty will result in financial consequences for X, not criminal ones. As we all know, Musk is willing to pay the price for endorsing right-wing causes.
The actual demand is that Musk must be held equally accountable under criminal justice law as any misguided individuals who echo his sentiments. He claims to be against dual standards in law enforcement, so we should hold him to his word.