Social media and Elon Musk accused of fuelling unrest after Belfast knife attack

Sophie Wingate, Press Association Deputy Political Editor

The use of social media in planning violent protests over the Belfast knife attack has drawn condemnation, with Labour accusing Elon Musk of stoking divisions.

The tech billionaire continued overnight to promote calls for people to take to the streets in response to the assault, which left a man in a serious condition in hospital.

A 30-year-old Sudanese man who was given leave to remain in the UK until 2028 has been charged with attempted murder and will appear in court on Wednesday.

Disorder erupted in the city on Tuesday, with anti-immigration protesters setting fire to vehicles and properties, forcing some people to flee their homes.

Sir Keir Starmer said there was no excuse for the violence or those who fuelled it on the internet.

The Prime Minister wrote on X on Wednesday: “The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable.

“There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.”

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said online platforms were “playing a role in driving” the unrest and suggested X owner Mr Musk was one of the “bad faith actors” inflaming tensions.

Mr Musk shared lists on X of locations where protests could take place – also posted by activist Tommy Robinson – and retweeted Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe’s post saying “Millions must go” with a screengrab of footage of the knife attack.

Ms Turley told Times Radio: “We have to acknowledge and see that social media is playing a role in driving this. And I think there are bad faith actors who are sitting often many, many miles away. It is easy for them to stoke these things up.”

Asked whether the tech tycoon was one of those bad faith actors, she said: “He’s not living in the kind of communities where we’re seeing this kind of activity. He’s not at risk.

“It’s mums and families and people living in those homes in Belfast and on the streets of Britain who are at risk.

“He has a responsibility, everyone in public and civil life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to stoke grievance or hatred or division or tension that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk.”

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said social media agitators should “step away from their keyboards” following a night of violence in Belfast.

Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, she said those who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponising the fear that people genuinely have about what happened”.

“Because, ultimately, if you’re driving people from their homes based on nothing but the colour of their skin, you can’t dress that up any other way, it’s racism, and those bad faith actors need to take a step back,” Ms Long said.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, repeatedly posted on X about the unfolding disorder, saying “foreign businesses are being destroyed in Belfast” and that homes suspected of housing asylum seekers “are getting trashed by angry locals”.

Concerns have also been raised about messages encouraging disorder being forwarded many times on WhatsApp.

One message said to have circulated overnight urged men of the age of 18 and over to “wear dark clothing and be prepared to fight or be arrested”.

Ms Turley told Times Radio: “I would absolutely condemn that kind of message. That solves nothing.

“That kind of message is more than irresponsible, it is dangerous, and it should not be happening. And I’d urge everyone to stay calm.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said social media algorithms were amplifying extremist content.

He said on X: “I am horrified by the disorder and racist violence in Belfast last night.

“Far too often now, we see extremists exploiting people’s anger and grief to spread hatred and violence – with the help of divisive algorithms on social media.

“This has to stop.”

Communication apps enabled mobs to co-ordinate quickly, making the police response more difficult, Tory shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart said.

He told Sky News: “The evidence that I’ve seen so far suggests that this was very well organised, it was very well co-ordinated, and groups that use modern communication technology can obviously co-ordinate very, very fast and get to specific locations very, very quickly. That makes it hard for the law enforcement agencies to respond.”