UK PM Rishi Sunak condemns Antisemitism amid Elon Musk controversy.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak carefully condemned antisemitism “in all its forms” amid the controversy surrounding tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s comments on his social media platform, X.
The Prime Minister, who shared a stage with Musk at the UK’s AI Safety Summit in November, emphasized his aversion to antisemitism but refrained from directly condemning Musk’s actions.
“I don’t tend to get in the business of scrutinizing what every single person says who I’ve interacted with. Of course, I abhor antisemitism,” UK PM Sunak said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Sunday, when asked about his views on Musk.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re Elon Musk or you’re someone on the street who’s shouting abuse at someone who happens to be walking past you, that’s wrong in all its forms. Antisemitism in all its forms is completely and utterly wrong.”
The Tesla CEO faced criticism after endorsing a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were fueling hatred against White individuals, with the controversy leading major companies like Disney, Apple, and Warner Bros to withdraw advertising spending.
US President Joe Biden and others strongly condemned Musk for promoting antisemitic and racist hate.
The issue has put Sunak in the spotlight, prompting questions about his judgment in associating with Musk.
Despite being pressed during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Sunak chose not to condemn Musk directly but instead used the opportunity to defend the importance of technology sectors and companies for economic growth.
The situation unfolded against the backdrop of a march against antisemitism in central London, attended by tens of thousands, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has exacerbated tensions, leading to a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes.
Sunak, speaking to Bloomberg, deemed recent incidents of antisemitism as “unacceptable” and emphasized that the police are under orders to bring those responsible to justice.
Elon Musk, set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Israel, denied being antisemitic in a post on X.
The issue underscores the ongoing challenge of combating antisemitism, described by Johnson as an “old spore of a virus” resurfacing periodically in Western civilization’s collective memory.
As UK PM Rishi Sunak condemns Antisemitism, Sunak reiterated the government’s unequivocal stance against antisemitism and emphasized the need to address such incidents in society.
