British MPs will summon Elon Musk to testify in UK parliament about the misinformation spread by X, formerly Twitter, following the Southport attack in July.
The summons will be part of a parliamentary inquiry into the mass riots that transpired after a man stabbed several people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport, killing three children. MPs are expected to also call senior executives from Meta and TikTok for questioning in the inquiry, according to The Guardian.
Initial hearings will take place in early 2025 and will focus on the rise of false and harmful AI content, as well as the spread of misinformation and politically-damaging content. The inquiry will focus on the consequences of generative AI, which was used in widely-shared images on Facebook and
“[Musk] has very strong views on multiple aspects of this,” Chi Onwurah, the Labor chair of the select committee, told The Guardian. “I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see… how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation.” Onwurah added that the inquiry would “get to the bottom of the links between social media algorithms, generative AI, and the spread of harmful or false content.”
It's unclear whether Musk would testify from the UK, although it seems unlikely given that he is entrenched in the impending Donald Trump administration.
Musk was a key driver of the unrest that took place in the UK following the Southport killings, alongside right-wing pundits and influencers. When the attacker's identity was not immediately revealed by police due to his age, aggressive speculation blamed an undocumented immigrant from a Muslim background. He turned out to be a 17-year-old British citizen, Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff. His parents were from Rwanda and had a Christian background, not Muslim.
Many of the rioters have been convicted and jailed for their roles in the wide-spread violence and disorder. One of those jailed was Lucy Connolly, who posted on X, “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care.” She was convicted under the Public Order Act for “publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred.” Despite that, X said the post did not violate its rules against violent threats.
Musk himself linked the riots to mass immigration, at one point posting that “civil war” in the UK was inevitable. He trolled the newly-elected British prime minister, Keir Starmer, for allegedly being biased against right-wing “protesters.” After Nigel Farage, the leader of radical-right party Reform UK and Trump ally, posted on X that, “Keir Starmer poses the biggest threat to free speech we've seen in our history,” Musk replied: “True.”
Rudakubana's trial is tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2025. He has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, as well as a terror charge.
Following the attack, Swift expressed her deep sorrow and disappointment on Instagram. “The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock,” Swift wrote. “The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
