A new report by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) has exposed how Elon Musk and his X platform have fuelled a surge of Islamophobia in the UK, transforming the “grooming gangs” discourse into a racially-charged flashpoint that threatens social cohesion and public trust in democratic institutions.
The report, titled Elon Musk, X, and Amplification of Islamophobia in the UK, details how Musk’s engagement with far-right narratives on X in early 2025 amplified harmful stereotypes, legitimised extremist rhetoric, and deepened societal divisions.
The “grooming gangs” narrative, which falsely alleges that South Asian men, particularly Pakistani Muslim men, are collectively responsible for sexually abusing white women and girls, gained unprecedented traction in January 2025 following Musk’s intervention.
“The 2025 discourse around ‘grooming gangs’ in the UK resulted in the amplification of Islamophobic and racialized narratives across the country,” the report states, attributing this escalation to “baseless and historically rooted harmful stereotypes about Muslims” and “the social media platform X and in particular Elon Musk’s centrality in the sharing and foregrounding of these ideas.”
Musk’s role and X’s algorithmic amplification
The controversy erupted on January 1, 2025, when Musk quote-tweeted a post from the X account @InevitableWest about the arrest of Tommy Robinson, co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL).
The original post, which demanded an apology for labeling Robinson a “far-right racist,” had moderate traction until Musk’s intervention. His quote-tweet, suggesting an institutional cover-up, amassed 49.24 million views, 284,000 likes and 60,000 reposts.
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“The post had only moderate traction until Musk’s quote-tweet, which significantly boosted its visibility,” the report notes, highlighting Musk’s algorithmic privilege as X’s owner.
Over the next 30 days, Musk’s 51 posts on the topic generated 1.2 billion total engagements, including 1.19 billion views.
The broader discourse, tracked through 1,208 posts from January 1 to January 30, 2025, amassed 1.53 billion engagements, a stark contrast to the 16.49 million engagements from 157 posts throughout 2024.
“This disproportionate increase in engagement relative to post volume demonstrates the significant amplification effect that occurred following Musk’s intervention,” the report explains.
Since acquiring X in 2022, Musk has dismantled trust and safety systems and reinstated far-right accounts, creating an environment where extremist rhetoric thrives under the guise of “free speech.”
The report criticises X’s failure to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act, noting “repeated violations of provisions concerning the incitement of racial or religious hatred” and the platform’s inaction on curbing harmful content.
Core themes
The CSOH report identifies three dominant themes in the “grooming gangs” discourse – racialised scapegoating of Muslim men, allegations of institutional cover-up, and attacks on British multiculturalism.
Of the 1,208 posts analysed in January 2025, 650 (53.81%) promoted hatred against Muslims, British Pakistani men, South Asians and immigrants, framing them as collectively responsible for sexual violence.
These posts garnered 368 million engagements, fuelled by “long-standing orientalist and racist tropes,” according to the report.
Another 578 posts (47.85%) alleged that authorities, including the Labour Party, judiciary, and media, deliberately concealed crimes to protect minority communities or political interests.
“Of the 578 posts alleging an institutional cover-up, 45.5% placed blame on the Labour Party, 13.5% on the judiciary, and 9.6% on the media,” the report details. These claims, often conspiratorial, eroded public trust in institutions.
A smaller but significant portion — 123 posts (10.18%) — attacked multiculturalism and “political correctness” as enablers of crime, arguing that diversity itself threatens societal stability.
These posts received 120.9 million engagements, reinforcing narratives that “position diversity as a threat,” the report states.
Global far-right networks
The report underscores the role of global far-right networks in amplifying the discourse, with 116 posts (9.6%) originating from India-based Hindu nationalist accounts promoting hatred toward British Muslims.
“Musk’s centrality here has relied on both his algorithmic privilege and the convergence of an extensive global Islamophobic social media network,” the report notes.
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In the UK, the discourse has had tangible consequences. Following Musk’s posts, far-right actors repositioned themselves as the “persecuted voice” of a silenced majority, capitalising on the decline of the Conservative Party to gain political legitimacy.
The report warns that this narrative “racializes crime, normalizes Islamophobia, and undermines multicultural democracy.”
The 2024 Southport riots, where Musk’s anti-government messaging is widely believed to have provided cover for extremist actors, serve as a precursor to the 2025 escalation.
“Musk’s anti-government messaging during crises — such as the 2024 Southport riots — has given cover and a pseudo-legitimacy to extremist actors while simultaneously weakening public trust in institutions,” the report states.
Societal and policy implications
The CSOH findings reveal a broader societal impact, with the “grooming gangs” discourse exploiting anxieties about race, immigration and cultural identity.
“In many cases, the focus on these crimes has less to do with justice for victims and more to do with reinforcing racialized fears and maintaining cultural hierarchies,” the report argues.
It says this weaponisation of crime narratives risks further polarising communities and undermining efforts to address systemic child protection failings.
The report calls for urgent action, criticising X’s inaction under the Online Safety Act. “The report finds a glaring failure by X to meet its obligations,” it states, urging policymakers to address the platform’s role in foreign interference and incitement of hatred.
Elon Musk has not directly addressed the 2025 CSOH report but has previously denied accusations of personal racism or extremism, often framing his actions as defending free speech, arguing that X should be a platform for open discourse.
