UK government defers action against X over Belfast incitement as police charge refugee

The UK government has confirmed it will take no immediate action against Elon Musk’s social media platform X regarding posts that incited violence during recent unrest in Belfast. Instead, any official reprimand will be deferred to the communications regulator, Ofcom, for a period of at least two months. This delay follows widespread condemnation of online content that fuelled race-based riots targeting ethnic minorities and migrants in Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to crack down on individuals fuelling division, stating there is no justification for the scenes of violence and disorder. While ministers plan to amend the Online Safety Act to require social media firms to act more quickly to remove inflammatory content during riots or other crises, these legislative changes are not expected to take effect until mid-July at the earliest.

In the interim, Ofcom has issued an open letter to X and other online content providers, reminding them of their legal responsibilities under the Online Safety Act 2023 to mitigate risks of illegal activity. The regulator is currently awaiting a first quarterly report on compliance from X, which is not due for at least two months. The directive specifically targets content that stirs up hatred or provokes violence, urging companies to reduce the risk of such material appearing on their networks.

Concurrently, police have charged Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old refugee from Sudan, with the attempted murder of NHS radiographer Stephen Ogilvie, who lost his left eye in the attack. Alodid also faces charges of threatening to kill Ogilvie and possessing a knife. The victim’s family has appealed for calm, rejecting disorder as a response and emphasising the valuable contributions migrants make to the healthcare system and other sectors.

The unrest, described by one Northern Ireland MP as a “race-based pogrom,” has left 27 people homeless. Former police national lead for counter-terrorism Neil Basu warned that far-right agitation over migration is currently the biggest national security threat facing Britain, surpassing the danger posed by Islamist terrorism. He attributed the violence to anger stoked by powerful social media figures and hostile foreign states.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey condemned the delay in taking action against X, arguing that the system builds in delays that allow platforms to breach their duties. In response, Starmer’s spokesperson reaffirmed the government’s stance, stating the prime minister would not hesitate to act against X and its associated platform Grok if necessary.