European leaders have united in opposition against Elon Musk just hours after Sir Keir Starmer accused the tech billionaire of spreading “lies and misinformation” on his social media platform.
French President Emmanuel Macron used a speech on Monday to fire a warning at the tech billionaire, accusing him of meddling in foreign politics in an attempt to support a “new international reactionary movement”.
Concerns are also being voiced in Germany and Norway over the Tesla owner’s interference in the domestic politics of other countries, particularly in Europe.
The warnings came shortly after the Prime Minister insisted that a “line had been crossed” over the online debate sparked by Musk about historic child sexual exploitation abuses in the UK.
Macron launched his own attack on the world’s richest man, using a speech in the Elysee to warn of Musk’s interference in German politics by publicly endorsing the far-right party, AfD, in an opinion piece for a German newspaper.
“Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany,” Macron said.
But his comments did not go as far as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who told Norway’s state broadcaster on Monday: “I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries.
“This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies.”
Concerns over Musk’s actions were also being felt in Germany, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that he would “not feed the trolls” when asked about Musk’s personal attacks against him.
Speaking on Sunday, he said: “I find it much more worrying than such insults that Musk is supporting a party like the AfD, which is in parts right-wing extremist, which preaches rapprochement with Putin’s Russia and wants to weaken transatlantic relations.”
The European Commission has said it will monitor a forthcoming interview being held by Musk with AfD leader Alice Weidel on X to see if it breaks EU regulations by using algorithms to boost the livestream to ensure it appears in users’ personal feeds amid concerns over the integrity of elections.
“We will look at the systemic risks that can come from certain practices on a platform — such as a live-stream — for example, the boosting, the recommender systems,” Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told reporters on Monday.
Bloomberg reported that the Commission was already monitoring Musk’s own posts to ascertain whether he is using an algorithm to ensure they appear in users’ feeds.
Senior Labour backbencher Stella Creasy told The i Paper more needed to be done to stand up to figures, such as Musk.
“No country alone can now stop those with money and means to spread hate from attacking them but every candidate and leader can do more to challenge this – whether directly or via third party organisations. What more evidence do they need to realise this is in no democrat’s interest to indulge?” she said.
The Prime Minister chose to head off attacks led by Musk over his and his ministers’ handling of child grooming gang cases, warning it was a “slippery slope” if truth no longer mattered in political debate.
Starmer did not refer to Musk by name, and would not be drawn on commenting on the incoming Trump administration, which the tech billionaire is set to hold a senior position in.
But the Prime Minister was scathing in his criticism of the “lies and misinformation” being spread online by Musk – accusing those involved of being “desperate for attention” and focused on themselves, rather than on vulnerable children.
Ahead of Starmer’s comments, Musk had held an online poll asking his 211m followers whether the US “should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government” having previously accused the Prime Minister of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” for “failing to tackle grooming gangs” during his time as director of public prosecutions (DPP).
Responding to questions after a speech in Surrey, Starmer said: “Those spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves.”
He added the attacks on Home Office minister Jess Phillips – who he said had done “1,000 times more” than most when it comes to protecting victims – were crossing a line and had led to threats.
The PM challenged the Tory opposition party to call out the lies being spread.
“When politicians – and I mean politicians – who sat in government for many years are casual about honesty, decency, truth and the rule of law, calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far right, then that affects politics because a robust debate can only be based on the true facts,” he said.
The row prompted by Musk’s comments has seen Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch call for a “full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal” and the Tories have now tabled an amendment to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill on Wednesday to try to force a vote on the issue.
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