'Appalling' Musk Accused of Fueling Belfast Riots

Elon Musk is facing fresh political blowback from the British government after a night of arson and unrest in Belfast. Following a knife attack in the city, which led to houses, cars, and a bus being torched Tuesday, Musk urged his followers on X to protest "REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY," amplifying a post from far-right activist Tommy Robinson listing protest locations, Politico reports. Anna Turley, chair of the ruling Labour Party, called his intervention "appalling," saying that people "seeking to drive and exploit a situation like this to drive their own political agenda is grievously wrong and doing damage."

"We've seen children, families having to flee their homes on the streets of Belfast last night," Turley said. "We do not want to see this kind of disruption, damage, thuggery, violence on our streets, and anyone that is seeking to whip that up should be condemned." Pastor Jack McKee tells the BBC that longtime members of his church in north Belfast were forced from their homes. "They're good Christian people and they're getting put out just because they're Black," he says. There was also unrest in cities including Glasgow, where five people were arrested and police said people were being "attacked because of the color of their skin."

• Hurley said Musk has a responsibility to "call for calm and not stoke grievance." Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already accused Musk last week of trying to "whip up division" over the killing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed and wrongly suspected of a racist assault.
• A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder in the Belfast knife attack. The victim, 44-year-old Stephen Ogilvie, lost an eye and is in a coma after the apparently unprovoked attack, the Telegraph reports.
• In a statement, Ogilvie's family thanked passersby who stopped the attack. "Your quick actions absolutely saved his life, and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment," they said. The family also condemned the Belfast unrest, LBC reports. "We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward," they said. "We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility."