Social media platforms should be neutral and not interfere in other nations’ political affairs, the Spanish government’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Pilar Alegría was responding to a question about the high-profile spat between billionaire Elon Musk (main image), who owns the social messaging platform X (Twitter), and European leaders such as the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
‘We believe that these platforms must always act with absolute neutrality and above all, without interfering,’ she told a news conference.
A European Commission spokesperson also said on Monday that while Musk was free to express his views on European politics, X must adhere to rules in the EU’s Digital Services Act, under which large online platforms have to analyse and mitigate potential risks for electoral processes and civic discourse.
European leaders have been expressing their growing frustration with Musk this week, as a major row escalates between members of the British government and US president-elect Donald Trump’s key ally.
Starmer has slammed those ‘spreading lies and misinformation’ following days of incendiary posts by the tech billionaire on his X platform over historical sex offences against children in northern England.
Musk, who is set for a role in Trump’s administration, then accused the centre-left Labour leader of being ‘deeply complicit in the mass rapes’ and ‘utterly despicable’ (see ‘Tweet’ below).
French President Macron and other EU leaders have also weighed in against Musk.
Macron said the SpaceX boss was ‘directly intervening in elections’, including in Germany where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned the Tesla boss for backing an extreme-right party.
‘Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany,’ Macron told the annual gathering of French ambassadors. He did not name Musk, but there was doubt over his target.
Meanwhile Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Monday that he found it ‘worrying’ that someone with so much wealth and influence was getting involved in the politics of European countries.
Much of Musk’s focus in recent days has been on Britain and historical scandals involving grooming gangs that first emerged during Starmer’s 2008-2013 tenure as the country’s top prosecutor.
The comments pose a major challenge for Starmer’s government, as it tries to fend off growing support for the far-right while also seeking to maintain good relations with Trump’s incoming administration.
Musk’s tirade, which included demands for a new public inquiry into the scandal, has prompted some UK opposition politicians to join in the criticism and call for a fresh national probe.
The issue has long been seized upon by far-right figures including the imprisoned Tommy Robinson, one of Britain’s best known far-right agitators, whom Musk has praised and said should be released from jail.
Responding to media questions on the topic, Starmer insisted he was ‘not going to individualise this to Elon Musk’ but said ‘a line has been crossed’ with some of the online criticism.
‘Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,’ Starmer told reporters, without naming Musk.
‘I’m prepared to call out this for what it is. We’ve seen this playbook many times: the whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it.’
The grooming scandal involved the widespread abuse of girls in northern English towns, including Rochdale, Rotherham and Oldham.
A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.
Subsequent official reports into how police and social workers failed to halt the abuse in some cases found that officials turned a blind eye to avoid appearing racist.
None of the probes singled out Starmer for blame or found that he had tried to block prosecutions.
The issue reignited this month after it was reported that UK minister Jess Phillips had rejected Oldham council’s request for a government-led inquiry in favour of a locally led investigation.
Musk has called Phillips a ‘rape genocide apologist’ and said she ‘deserves to be in prison’ (also see ‘Tweet’ below).
Starmer has rejected calls by the main opposition Conservative party (led by Kemi Badenoch) and the hard-right Reform UK party (led by Nigel Farage) for a new public inquiry, saying an earlier independent probe had been ‘comprehensive’.
Starmer said he had dealt with the problem ‘head-on’ as a prosecutor and oversaw ‘the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record’.
But Musk claimed Monday that Starmer and former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown were among those complicit in the sex crimes, adding in one post that Brown ‘sold those little girls for votes’.
‘Prison for Starmer,’ he said in another.
German Chancellor Scholz on Saturday condemned Musk for ‘erratic’ comments after the billionaire labelled the German leader an ‘incompetent fool’ and came out in support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of snap elections on 23 February.
Musk also surprised many people in Britain on Sunday when he appeared to U-turn on his support for Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage (Reform party) saying his anti-immigration party ‘needs a new leader’.
What an insane thing to say!
The real reason is that it would show how Starmer repeatedly ignored the pleas of vast numbers of little girls and their parents, in order to secure political support.
Starmer is utterly despicable. https://t.co/AsvDQ4q5af
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
Jess Philips is a rape genocide apologist https://t.co/vmLKtIQ6YV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2025
Sign up for the FREE Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Please support Spain in English with a donation.
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.
Click here for further details on how to ADVERTISE with us.
