Elon Musk has been licking his wounds ever since Trump threw him under the bus in American politics. But rather than retreat, he's doubled down on his political addiction – this time crossing the Atlantic to stoke Britain's anti-immigration fires. His partnership with notorious far-right leader Tommy Robinson proved devastatingly effective last Saturday, when they mobilized a staggering 110,000-person demonstration in London.
Tommy Robinson and Musk's toxic partnership just weaponized a dead American influencer to fuel Britain's biggest anti-immigration march in years. This won't end here.
These two have been playing transatlantic tag-team politics since Britain's anti-immigration riots last August, but their latest collaboration hit different. They shamelessly capitalized on the recent assassination of American conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, turning his death into rocket fuel for their cause. The result? British anti-immigration sentiment has reached fever pitch, and Hong Kong migrants – who far-right extremists see as just another group of "foreigners" – are about to find out they're not as safe as they thought.
The London march drew more bodies than anyone expected, creating a genuinely terrifying spectacle that shows just how fast far-right populist forces are spreading. Sure, the massive influx of refugees into Britain provided the spark, but three factors turned this into a perfect storm of extremism: Tommy Robinson's recent prison release gave him martyr status and supercharged his ability to rally the troops; Musk personally backing the cause while using X as his megaphone; and the recent shooting of American conservative influencer Kirk, which created a powerful "martyrdom effect" that drove even more right-wing fanatics onto the streets.
When Chaos Becomes Spectacle
Let's talk about Robinson, because he is quite a story. He founded the English Defence League (EDL) and turned inflammatory rhetoric into an art form, building a devoted following among Britain's right-wing crowd. This is someone who regularly spouts radical xenophobic messages and has been hauled before courts for contempt multiple times. Last year, he fled to Cyprus to dodge trouble but kept pumping out racist content online, eventually triggering last August's major riots.
When he returned to Britain last October, he got slapped with an 18-month prison sentence. But here's where it gets interesting – when the High Court heard his appeal in May, they dramatically reduced his sentence and he walked out immediately to a hero's welcome from far-right supporters. He was already promising something "big" back then, and boy did he deliver. Just over three months later, he pulled off this massive 110,000-person march.
Musk's Transatlantic Meddling
Musk and Robinson have been mutual admirers for ages – birds of a feather and all that. When Robinson got locked up, Musk repeatedly posted on X claiming "Tommy is only telling the truth but is being held in solitary confinement" and demanding his immediate release. He essentially picked up Robinson's torch, using X to constantly stoke public anger against refugees during the far-right riots, declaring that "civil war in the UK is inevitable." Prime Minister Keir Starmer was absolutely furious, condemning Musk for openly inciting unrest and warning the government wouldn't stand for it. British police chiefs even threatened to extradite him to Britain for trial.
Musk, safely tucked away in America, obviously couldn't care less about these threats. He ramped up his anti-immigration rhetoric and strengthened ties with far-right parties across Britain and Germany. After Trump's election victory last year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage personally flew to America to meet the new president and held talks with Musk, praising him as a "hero." Word on the street was that Musk was ready to pump $100 million into the party.
Switching Playgrounds
With Britain’s far-right anti-immigration wave roaring back to life and Musk still smarting from his U.S. setbacks, he spotted the perfect stage for a comeback. So he switched arenas and hitched himself to Robinson.
In a slick video beamed to the marchers, he cooed, “I think there’s something beautiful about being British, and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain—initially a slow erosion but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration.” Then he cranked the volume: “The left is the party of murder and celebrating murder. Violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.”
And, for the finale, he demanded “revolutionary government change… everyone must marshal the people, take charge, reform the government, and make sure you actually have a government that is for the people, by the people.”
The crowd went berserk, chanting “Elon! Elon! Elon!”
Here's where things get really dark. Musk and Robinson cynically exploited the shooting death of American right-wing influencer Kirk, holding up his portrait during the march and turning his quotes into rally cries. They basically canonized him as a far-right "martyr." The crowd ate it up, wildly shouting "We are all Charlie" (Kirk's name), proving that their sick martyrdom strategy was working perfectly.
Musk and Robinson clearly have no intention of stopping after this massive show of force. They're actively building what they call a "grand alliance of far-right forces." Representatives from right-wing organizations like Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) showed up at the demonstration. Robinson has already announced plans to create a new organization called "Advance UK" that will directly challenge the Labour government through political interference.
Hong Kong BNOs: You're Not Safe
This anti-immigration fire is only going to burn hotter, and here's the uncomfortable truth that some Hong Kong BNO holders in Britain don't want to face. Friends living in the UK have told me that certain pro-democracy Hong Kong migrants are living in denial, wishfully thinking they don't count as refugees or "illegal immigrants" and therefore won't be targeted by far-right extremists. Some even support their views. But here's reality: to whites caught up in xenophobic hysteria, Hong Kong people are no different from migrants from anywhere else. The message is simple: "this country does not belong to you."
BNO holders thinking they're immune from this anti-immigration backlash? Wake up – you're fooling yourselves.
So this fire will eventually reach Hong Kong migrants in Britain, and holding a BNO passport won't shield them from the flames.
Lai Ting-yiu
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** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
