Elon Musk's 'we have real guns' reaction to re-surfaced post on UK police chief's warning to US citizens

On Monday, tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to a re-surfaced video on social media on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. In reference to a warning issued last year by London's Police chief about taking action against American citizens for their online remarks on UK riots, Elon Musk stated, "You have finger guns, we have real guns." (sic)


The comments of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley were originally made in August last year, following a wave of riots in the United Kingdom. Mark Rowley had issued a stern warning through Sky News, stating, "We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you." (sic)


When UK riots broke out, Elon Musk had doubled down and picked on the prime minister Keir Starmer while appearing to voice support for the protesting far-right groups.

ALSO READ: US hit with severe winter storm: Over 1,300 flights cancelled, six states declare state of emergency. All details

All about UK riots

The unrest in UK was fuelled by false online rumours claiming that an asylum seeker was behind a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event, which left three girls dead and several others injured.

The accused, identified as an 18-year-old British national with Rwandan heritage, was arrested for the killings. The incident led to aggressive demonstrations, reflecting underlying tensions regarding immigration levels in Britain. Social media platforms witnessed widespread circulation of violent clashes between anti-immigration protesters and their opponents. The authorities cautioned that disseminating such material could result in legal repercussions, the New York Post reported.

When a Sky News reporter pressed Commissioner Rowley for clarification on his warning, pointing out that high-profile figures were "whipping up hatred," specifically mentioning "the likes of Elon Musk."

ALSO READ: Viral video showing HMPV chaos at China hospital raises alarm. Is human metapneumovirus a new virus?

The reporter also questioned how authorities planned to address individuals who incite such behavior from afar. To which Commissioner Rowley responded firmly, stating: "Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law."

He further emphasised: "All of those offenses are in play if people are provoking hatred and violence on the streets, and we will come after those individuals just as we will physically confront on the streets the thugs and the yobs who are causing the problems for communities."

The situation gained additional attention when Elon Musk criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer's handling of the unrest, suggesting Britain was approaching "civil war." The UK government condemned the post.

“There’s no justification for comments like that,” a spokesperson for Starmer told reporters. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online. We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain … I think you can tell from that that the prime minister does not share those sentiments.”