British politicians condemn Elon Musk's comments at anti-migrant rally
[September 15, 2025]
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced calls Monday to sanction
Elon Musk after the X and Tesla owner told an anti-immigration rally
that violence is coming to Britain and they must fight or die.
Starmer denounced violence on the fringes of Saturday’s 100,000 or
more-strong “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration in London organized by
far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson.
Police said 26 officers were injured, four seriously, as protesters
tried to breach lines separating them from a smaller anti-racist
counter-demonstration. There were 25 people arrested at the event and
the Metropolitan Police said more arrests would follow.
Addressing the demonstration by video link, Musk called for the
dissolution of Parliament, an early election and a change of government
in Britain. He told protesters “violence is coming to you” and “you
either fight back or you die.”
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest party in
Britain’s Parliament, urged Starmer and Conservative opposition leader
Kemi Badenoch to join him in condemning Musk’s attempt “to sow discord
and incite violence on our streets” and interfere with British
democracy.
They should “consider what sanctions Elon Musk should face as a
consequence," Davey said.
Equalities Minister Jacqui Smith said Musk’s remarks “were wrong and
they were dangerous.” Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the
comments“slightly incomprehensible” and “totally inappropriate," but
said the demonstration showed free speech was alive and well.
Starmer has not commented directly on Musk’s comments. He wrote on X
that peaceful protest “is core to our country’s values. But 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."
This is not the first time Musk, an erstwhile ally of President Donald
Trump, has supported hard-right and far-right figures in Europe,
including Robinson, a convicted fraudster and founder of the anti-Islam
English Defense League whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and the
Alternative for Germany party, or AfD.
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A demonstrator stands on the head of the South Bank lion that sits
on the side of the Westminster Bridge, during a Tommy Robinson-led
Unite the Kingdom march and rally in London, Saturday, Sept. 13,
2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Musk also is a critic of attempts by the U.K. and other European
governments to clamp down on harmful online content, something he
argues restricts free speech.
Saturday’s demonstration follows growing political concern about
unauthorized immigration, especially the arrival of migrants across
the English Channel in small boats. More than 30,000 people have
made the dangerous crossing from France so far this year despite
efforts by authorities from Britain, France and other countries to
crack down on the people-smuggling gangs behind the trips.
The use of hotels to accommodate asylum-seekers has become a major
political issued in Britain, sparking dozens of small but heated
protests over the summer, some of which turned violent.
Saturday's demonstration, one of the largest nationalist protests in
Britain for decades, turned central London into a sea of flags, both
the Union Jack of the U.K. and England’s red and white St. George
flag.
In recent weeks, the flags have proliferated around the country as
part of a seemingly grassroots fly-the-flag campaign. Red crosses
have also been painted on buildings in what some see as an
intimidating gesture aimed at ethnic minorities.
Starmer wrote on X that “Britain is a nation proudly built on
tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse
country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a
symbol of violence, fear and division.”
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