Elon Musk has been condemned after he told a far-right rally that “violence is coming” to Britain.
The tech billionaire also called for the Labour government to be replaced in the latest salvo in his long-running feud with Keir Starmer.
More than 100,000 people marched through central London for the “Unite the Kingdom” event, organised by far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson.
The Metropolitan Police said 26 of their officers were injured, including four seriously, after allegedly being attacked by some of those taking part.
Addressing the crowd via video link, Musk – until recently one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers – said: “I really think there needs to be a change of government in the UK. You can’t – we don’t have another four years or whenever the next election is, that’s too long.”
“Something has to be done. There has to be a parliament and a new vote.”
He told the crowd that they would have to “fight back or die” if they wanted to defend their country.
“Violence will come to you,” he said. “You will not have a choice. You are in a fundamental element here where, whether you choose violence or not, violence comes to you. You either fight or you die. That is the truth.”
His comments were condemned by Business Secretary Peter Keel, who said: “I think they were slightly incomprehensible comments. They were completely inappropriate.”
“What we saw yesterday was over 100,000 people expressing freedom of association, freedom of speech and proving that both of those things are alive and well in this country.
“A small number of people who protested committed acts of violence against our police, for which they should and will be held accountable.”
Musk’s remarks were also heavily criticized on social media, including by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey.
