Elon Musk has set his sights on Britain
Elon Musk is in love Reply to posts on X with heart emoticons. He’s posted dozens this year alone, often in response to people complimenting his cars or directly addressing his mom’s posts.
But this week, Musk sent a heart emoji to British far-right Islamophobic activist Tommy Robinson. Although Musk largely ignored British politics this year while working in the US government at his DOGE, it seems he’s back across the pond, spending his own money and using his platform to promote far-right extremists.
“Many thanks to @elonmusk today. Legend,” Robinson wrote on Monday after the first day of his two-day trial on charges related to counter-terrorism laws at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. Robinson claimed this week that Musk funded his defense.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, was charged under the Terrorism Act after refusing police access to his mobile phone in July 2024 when he tried to leave the UK. Prosecutor Joe Morris told a judge this week that police believed there “may have been information about acts of terrorism” on the phone at the time. Robinson has pleaded not guilty, claiming the stop was illegal. A decision on this matter is expected next month.
In a video released on X ahead of this week’s trial, Robinson said Musk had agreed to fund his defense. Robinson didn’t say how much Musk would contribute to his defense fund, but Mark Stephens, a prominent British lawyer who previously served as Julian Assange’s legal counsel, told WIRED that if he covered Robinson’s entire defense, Musk’s bill would easily reach half a million pounds. [$665,000]perhaps more by appeal.
Robinson and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.
At the start of the year, Musk was posting non-stop about UK politics, until his focus was consumed by DOGE. But, after his stormy exit from Washington, Musk’s focus on Europe has once again created chaos. WIRED analyzed data provided by BrightData, which showed that the number of posts Musk made about the UK dropped after January of this year. After leaving DOGE in May, Musk’s posts about Britain increased again in August.
Experts believe that Musk’s current support for Britain’s far-right is part of a possible concerted effort to destabilize the region politically to avoid heavy-handed regulations — such as the EU’s Digital Services Act or the UK’s Online Safety Act — to punish X.
