'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAkU4LH//EAB4QAAIBBAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEBSESEzNy/9oACAEBAAE/AJcqFvcnjbuJE6p1hRpzzlUA72oIqX1f6Nf/xAAbEQACAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwABBBEhIv/aAAgBAgEBPwC5ebh7rnc//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEQD/2gAIAQMBAT8AUv/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On January 13, 2025, Elon Musk took to X to double down on claims of looters in California. Asking Tesla Cybertruck owners to be "careful in some areas" and stating that there is a "non-zero risk" of armed looters, Musk wrote in his tweet:
"Cybertruck side panels are bulletproof to subsonic projectiles (handguns, shotgun & Tommy gun), but the glass is not, so make sure to duck if you see anyone wielding a gun. This is not fiction."
On January 12, 2025, Musk reposted a video of California Governor Gavin Newsom's interview with a clown and earth emoji. In the video, Newsom is quoted saying "zero tolerance for looting". The tweet accompanying the video claimed that California Democrats and Newsom decriminalized looting and barred authorities from arresting and prosecuting looters.
However, Gavin Newsom responded to Musk's tweet on January 12, 2025. In his tweet, Newsom asked Elon Musk to "stop encouraging looting by lying and telling people it’s decriminalized", adding that it is not. Newsom emphasized that looting is illegal and always has been. He also said that "bad actors will be arrested and prosecuted."
UK officials are monitoring Elon Musk's social media posts: Details explored
According to BBC and The Mirror, UK officials are monitoring Elon Musk's social media posts, among others, as a probable security risk. The monitoring is being done by a team in the Home Office's Homeland Security Group which "focuses on the highest harm risks to the homeland" and is responsible for lowering national security risks as per a government portal.
A spokesperson of the Home Office mentioned in a statement:
"While we can't comment on operational matters, we routinely use open-source monitoring to be informed of what is being shared and discussed online."
According to The Mirror's report dated January 9, 2025, Musk's tweets over the last few weeks have led to this action by Britain's Home Office, given he used his X account to tweet about the Labour government and the grooming gangs scandal.
As per a report by The Economic Times dated January 9, 2025, the grooming gangs scandal is decade-old and entails multiple child s*x abuse cases in which girls were r*ped and assaulted by gangs of men in varied regions and the majority of the perpetrators in the said scandal were of British Pakistani heritage. It is believed that the Tesla CEO commented on the matter to express discontent over the Labour government rejecting a new national inquiry into the scandal of the grooming gangs.
Commenting on the same, Musk labeled Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister of the UK, a "rape genocide apologist", suggesting she should be in prison. This led to Phillips telling BBC that the disinformation spread by Elon Musk had led to threats toward her safety.
As per The Mirror's report, issues concerning Elon Musk's interference in the political scenario of the UK increased after reports of the Tesla CEO looking to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister began circulating.
