UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday strongly condemned Elon Musk for remarks made at a far-right rally in London, calling the billionaire’s words “dangerous” and “inflammatory.” However, the UK government rejected opposition calls to impose sanctions on Musk or block his companies from receiving government contracts.
Starmer’s reaction came after Musk, who owns Tesla and social media platform X, told a massive crowd of protestors that “violence is coming to Britain” and warned that people must “fight back or die.”
The controversy follows Saturday’s massive “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration in central London, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Police estimated more than 100,000 people attended. While the majority of the rally remained peaceful, violence broke out on the fringes when some protesters attempted to breach police lines separating them from a smaller anti-racist counter-demonstration.
According to the Metropolitan Police, 26 officers were injured—four of them seriously. Authorities arrested 25 people at the scene and warned further arrests would be made as investigations continue.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, condemned the clashes, calling it “horrendous” that officers were attacked. “There is no defence of some of the violence used on Saturday. I feared something like that would happen,” he said, while insisting most demonstrators were “good, ordinary, decent people.”
What Musk Said At UK Rally
During his address to the rally, Musk went beyond criticising government policy, directly calling for Parliament to be dissolved and for an early general election to unseat Starmer’s center-left administration. He told protestors “violence is coming to you” and “you either fight back or you die.”
Starmer’s spokesperson, Dave Pares, dismissed Musk’s rhetoric as out of step with British values. “The UK is a fair, tolerant and decent country, so the last thing that British people want is dangerous and inflammatory language which threatens violence and intimidation on our streets,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged leaders of all major parties, including Starmer, Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, and Farage, to join him in condemning what he called Musk’s attempt “to sow discord and incite violence.” Davey went further, asking the government to bar Tesla from receiving public contracts.
The prime minister’s office, however, confirmed there were no plans to sanction Musk over the remarks.
Starmer later stressed on X that peaceful protest is a fundamental value in Britain but said aggression on the streets would not be tolerated. “We will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the color of their skin,” he wrote.
Musk’s Support For Europe’s Far Right
This is not the first time Musk has aligned himself with far-right figures in Europe. He has previously voiced support for Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who founded the anti-Islam English Defence League, as well as for the German nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Musk has also frequently clashed with European governments, including Britain, over efforts to regulate harmful online content, which he claims restricts free speech.
Saturday’s rally, billed as a defence of free expression, featured speeches from far-right politicians and influencers across Europe, many of whom railed against immigration and multiculturalism.
