'Is This Britain Or Soviet Union?' Musk Slams Arrest Over Facebook, Other Online Posts Linked UK Riots

Elon Musk reacted to a video on X showing a British man apparently being arrested for making hate comments on Facebook. (Screengrab)

Jordan Parlour, 28, faces charges for inciting racial hatred on Facebook amid ongoing riots. Nearly 50 suspects appear in court for violent disorder and related crimes

A 28-year-old man has been charged with inciting racial hatred on Facebook during recent riots in the UK. Jordan Parlour, from Seacroft in Leeds, is accused of using threatening language in a series of posts made between August 1 and August 5, the Daily Mail reported.

Deadly UK unrest erupted following a week of protests across the country that were reportedly fueled by right-wing activists using social media to spread misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.

The British government said the rioting spread to cities and towns in many parts of the UK as some circulated misinformation about the attack. The claims posted on X later appeared on Facebook and Telegram, according to Logically, a UK-based company that uses artificial intelligence to combat online propaganda.

‘Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?’

As allegations of spreading misinformation were leveled against X, US tech billionaire Elon Musk reacted to a video showing a British man being arrested for making hate comments on Facebook. “Arrested for making comments on Facebook! Is this Britain or the Soviet Union? Is this accurate, Community Notes?” Musk, the owner of social media platform X, asked in a social media post. However, News18 could not independently verify that the video is linked to the recent UK riots.

‘Musk’s menace to democracy’

A US-based journalist slammed Musk, calling him a “menace to democracy”. “He’s (Musk) using the largest & most influential platform in the democratic world to stoke racial conflict and civil breakdown – in his own posts and what X promotes. Democracies can no longer ignore this,” he said.

Rejecting X’s alleged role in UK riots, Musk said, “The same legacy media dingbats who lied repeatedly, claiming ‘X/Twitter is dying’, are now saying it’s the ‘largest & most influential platform’. The real crime here is that my sides hurt from laughing at the irony! Listen Ed, if you want to refute something, it is easy to do on this platform, unlike the tripe you publish in your legacy paper.”

The violence, some of Britain’s worst in years, has led to hundreds of arrests as the government pledges that the rioters will feel “the full force of the law”. In addition to Parlour, several others face charges related to violent disorder. Six individuals are set to appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court after a mob attempted to set fire to a hotel housing migrants in Rotherham.

Those charged include Lee Crisp, 42, Christopher Rodgers, 38, and Liam Grey, 20, along with two unnamed teenagers, according to British media reports. In Middlesbrough, 28 individuals are due in court for violent disorder and related offenses following disturbances on Sunday. In Southport, Dylan Carey, 26, faces charges of violent disorder, while a 15-year-old boy from Liverpool is also set to appear in court for similar charges.

Nottinghamshire Police reported that eight people were charged in connection with disturbances during protests in Nottingham city center. The arrests were made after a protest in Old Market Square, where individuals face charges including public order offenses and assaulting emergency workers. Amid the chaos, three men from Blackpool pleaded guilty to their involvement in violence across Lancashire, including assaulting emergency workers and possessing an offensive weapon.

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