Fresh criticism has been directed at tech billionaire and newly crowned world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, over his role in amplifying anti-immigration narratives linked to recent riots in Belfast, according to a report released on Friday.
Violence erupted in the Northern Irish capital on Monday, June 8, 2026, following a brutal knife attack. Authorities subsequently charged a Sudanese national, Hadi Alodid, with attempted murder.
Amid the unrest, Musk used his social media platform, X, to amplify calls for protests across Britain from anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson. Addressing his more than 240 million followers, Musk wrote: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change.”
He also promoted anti-immigration content and messages from Rupert Lowe, leader of the fringe hard-right political party, Restore Britain, significantly extending the reach of such posts.
According to researchers at the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), posts by Musk, Robinson and Lowe relating to the Belfast unrest generated more than 115 million views collectively, with Musk responsible for about 55 per cent of the total.
The watchdog said Musk’s posts alone accounted for roughly 64 million views.
“Musk’s amplification has been instrumental,” the report stated.
CCDH founder and chief executive, Imran Ahmed, accused Musk of using the Belfast tragedy to spread anti-migrant narratives to millions of users.
“As the owner of X and its most-followed user, Musk has unparalleled power to shape what people see online. With that power comes responsibility for the content and conduct his platform promotes,” Ahmed said.
“Yet our research shows that he used the Belfast tragedy to amplify anti-migrant narratives to millions of users, prompting endless calls for violence.
“While communities dealt with the consequences of brutality and disorder, no individual played a bigger role in spreading this content on X than Musk himself,” he added.
X had not responded to requests for comment as of the time of filing this report.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was previously banned from the platform before his account was reinstated following Musk’s acquisition of X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022. Several other controversial influencers accused of spreading misinformation or hate speech were also reinstated.
The CCDH report further noted that Musk had recently expanded Lowe’s online reach by promoting his speeches and suggesting that Restore Britain was the only party capable of “saving Britain.”
Researchers also identified what they described as an “explosion in calls for violence” in response to posts about the Belfast unrest, with more than 3,900 comments allegedly advocating lynchings and other crimes against immigrants. Nearly two-thirds of those comments were linked to replies under Robinson’s posts.
The findings come as Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, warns that online platforms face an increasing risk of being used to incite hatred, encourage violence and facilitate offences under UK law.
The controversy coincided with a landmark moment for Musk, whose net worth crossed the trillion-dollar mark on Friday after shares of his aerospace company, SpaceX, surged following its Wall Street debut.
The historic initial public offering, described as the largest in history, reportedly raised more than $75 billion.
AFP
