Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who recently became the world’s first trillionaire, is facing mounting criticism over his online activity following anti-immigrant riots in Belfast, with researchers claiming posts he amplified on X generated more than 115 million views.
Violence erupted in Northern Ireland after a brutal knife attack earlier this week, leading authorities to charge Sudanese national Hadi Alodid with attempted murder.
In the aftermath, Musk used his social media platform X to amplify calls for protests across Britain by anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson, telling his more than 240 million followers that “only by protesting repeatedly and loudly will there be any change.”
The Tesla and SpaceX chief also shared anti-immigration posts and messages from Rupert Lowe, leader of the fringe hard-right political party Restore Britain, significantly increasing their reach.
According to a report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), posts by Musk, Robinson and Lowe relating to the Belfast unrest accumulated more than 115 million views, with Musk alone accounting for roughly 64 million views—about 55 percent of the total.
“Musk’s amplification has been instrumental,” the watchdog said in its report.
CCDH founder and chief executive Imran Ahmed accused the billionaire of using his influence to spread anti-migrant narratives to millions of users and warned that his platform’s reach comes with enormous responsibility.
“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,” Ahmed said.
The report also claimed that responses to the trio’s posts contained an “explosion in calls for violence,” identifying more than 3,900 comments advocating attacks and other crimes against immigrants.
Two-thirds of those comments were reportedly linked to posts by Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Robinson’s account was restored after Musk acquired Twitter, now X, in 2022.
The controversy comes as Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom warned that social media platforms are increasingly being used to promote hatred and incite violence.
Ironically, the backlash coincided with a historic financial milestone for Musk. On Friday, the Tesla and SpaceX boss officially became the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s record-breaking Wall Street debut, which reportedly raised more than $75 billion in what analysts described as the largest initial public offering in history.
Despite the celebration surrounding his financial achievement, the controversy has once again placed Musk at the center of a global debate over free speech, misinformation and the influence of social media platforms.
