Elon Musk called for a “dissolution of parliament” and a “change of government” during a far-right rally in London on Saturday. Speaking via video link, the owner of X addressed a crowd of supporters at the “Unite the Kingdom” event organized by controversial figure Tommy Robinson. Musk’s comments have triggered a major conversation about free speech and political discussion in the UK.
In a few short minutes during his keynote speech to the noisy, lavishly-conceived gathering, Musk made more outrageous claims. He gave a particularly incisive critique of what he termed the “woke mind virus.” He alleged that “a lot of the woke stuff is actually super-racist, it’s super-sexist and often it’s anti-religion, but only anti-Christian.” His comments were intended to disrupt these dominant narratives that he views are toxic to the public good.
Musk’s address went on to make even more direct comments related to violence and political radicalism. He stated, “There’s so much violence on the left, with our friend Charlie Kirk getting murdered in cold blood this week and people on the left celebrating it openly.” He painted the left as “the murder party,” rallying support behind his demonization of his opponent’s call to action.
My appeal is to British common sense, which is to look carefully around you and say: ‘If this continues, what world will you be living in?’ Musk implored the crowd. In doing so he expressed his sense of urgency about the political moment in Great Britain. He argued that waiting for the next election would be too long.
Musk condemned the UK government’s 2023 Online Safety Act for curbing harmful media, calling it an attack on free speech. He claimed that in order to combat this threat and other societal issues, “there’s got to be a dissolution of parliament and a new vote held.”
The rally boasted a heavy-hitter lineup of notable speakers, Katie Hopkins and Éric Zemmour, making the rally’s atmosphere one steeped in right-wing wrath. Musk’s rapport with figures such as Nigel Farage has been well-documented, and reports suggest he considered donating to Farage’s party before advocating for a leadership change within it.
Musk’s statements have ignited controversy not only for their content but for their potential implications on political dialogue and civil discourse in the UK. He announced, “Violence is Coming” and gained a lot of national media attention. He challenged participants to come together because they need to “either push forward or you perish.”