Elon Musk’s X Accused of Ignoring Reports About Anti-South Asian Racist Content
LONDON — Elon Musk’s social media platform X has been accused of giving racists “impunity” after it refused to remove dozens of posts containing racist abuse directed at British politicians and public figures, including messages using the anti-South Asian P-word.
Researchers from British Future, a UK think tank focused on social cohesion, said the platform declined to remove many posts reported through its “hate, abuse or harassment” reporting system, only acting in some cases when content was specifically flagged as potentially illegal under Britain’s Online Safety Act.
Posts Targeting South Asian Figures
The organisation said it reported 33 posts on May 15 containing the P-word and targeting public figures from South Asian backgrounds. These included Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, and politician Zarah Sultana. Among the messages cited was a post directed at Yusuf telling him to return to Pakistan while using the P-word, a racist slur historically used against people of South Asian origin.
According to British Future, none of the posts had been removed 48 hours after being reported. X subsequently advised the group to use a separate reporting mechanism designed for potentially illegal content under UK law.
The N-Word and Kemi Badenoch
The think tank also highlighted separate incidents involving racist abuse directed at Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, including multiple posts using the N-word. In May, researchers reported 30 posts from this year in which Badenoch was called the N-word. X refused to act in the majority of cases. The platform eventually restricted visibility for just two of the 30 messages — and only after British Future’s director emailed the platform directly.
A Two-Tier System
Avaes Mohammad, a researcher with British Future, said the platform’s reporting system appeared to distinguish between content categorised as hate speech and content deemed illegal under UK legislation.
“Our research found that action was far more likely when content was reported as illegal rather than simply as hate, abuse or harassment,” Mohammad said. “Many people will intuitively report racist posts as ‘hate, abuse or harassment’ – but it seems X doesn’t consider it as hate”.
British Future argued that the approach risks creating an environment in which users posting racist content face few consequences. The group noted that none of the account holders responsible for the reported posts had been suspended.
Regulatory Response
Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, said it condemned racism “in all its forms” and was focused on ensuring platforms complied with their legal obligations. The regulator said X had committed to reviewing reports of suspected illegal terrorist and hate content submitted through its dedicated UK reporting channel within an average of 24 hours.
Following further engagement and contact from Ofcom, visibility of 20 of the 33 posts was restricted within the UK, while others remained accessible. X did not respond to requests for comment.
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