Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer yesterday rejected Elon Musk’s claim that a British civil war is inevitable after days of violent disorder.
Downing Street said there was “no justification” for the technology chief’s comments, triggering a war of words.
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The row intensified with Musk later telling Sir Keir he should care “about all communities” – after the Prime Minister spoke about the impact of the UK riots on Muslims.
Yesterday, Sir Keir chaired Cobra’s first emergency meeting since the riots began.
He warned: “If you are inciting violence, it doesn’t matter whether it is online or offline. . . I hope there are arrests and prosecutions.”
Almost 400 people have been arrested a week after fatal stabbing attacks in Southport.
Sir Keir said a “standing army” of specialist officers is now available to deal with the disorder.
More than 500 prison spaces will be opened next week so more rioters can be arrested.
Sir Keir rejected claims of two-tier policing, where protests from the right are taken more harshly than those from the left.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley appeared to knock over a reporter’s microphone when asked about two-tier policing after the Cobra meeting.
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Fake news ‘bots’ and vile accounts spreading lies on social media WILL be stopped, promises Starmer
Speaking after today’s Cobra meeting, the PM said:
There have been hundreds of arrests, people are already being charged and police will continue to update themselves on details regarding progress on arrests and charges.
Police continue to deploy additional resources across the country, in strategic locations, whenever necessary.
The police, Home Office, DC and NCA are working to tackle online crime, to ensure people are prosecuted, and are working to tackle misinformation and bot activity.
Additional court protocol is in place to ensure additional court capacity is in place as needed.
As the Home Office announced, I believe that on Friday the protective and mosque security scheme was extended with additional security in place across the country.
Social media companies have responsibilities under the law. They have a responsibility to keep their users safe.
They have a responsibility to ensure that there is no criminal activity on their platforms and, likewise, individuals who post illegal content online must know that they will also be met with the full force of the law.
There is no type of immunity when inciting illegal activity online.
There is no kind of safe space where you can avoid lawsuits, just because you are involved in illegal activities online.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24090220/STK171_VRG_Illo_2_Normand_ElonMusk_02.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "Elon Musk tells Donald Trump ‘we should not defame the oil and gas industry’")
