The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
Nov 25, 2023
Related video: Cars burned and shops looted in Dublin riots
KameraOne - Short Cuts / VideoElephant
Elon Musk has once again worked his way into the news agenda this week, this time claiming Ireland’s prime minister, Leo Varadkar, “hates the Irish people” following riots in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening sparked by a knife attack earlier that day.
Five people were injured in the incident near the Irish-medium primary school Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, with a woman in her 30s and a man in his 50s remaining in hospital with serious injuries and a five-year-old girl receiving emergency care at a children’s hospital.
A six-year-old girl is being treated for less serious injuries, while a six-year-old boy has been discharged.
After a cryptocurrency account shared a screenshot of a news article in which Varadkar is quoted as saying his government will “modernise our laws against incitement to hatred and hatred in general”, Musk waded in to criticise the politician.
Varadkar had commented on the violence, which involved far-right elements, to say those who took part in the riots “brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves”.
He added: “These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland. They did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people. They did not do it out of any sense of patriotism, however warped.
“They did so because they’re filled with hate, they love violence, they love chaos and they love causing pain to others.”
Musk, however, responded to the Irish PM’s plans to update Ireland’s incitement to hatred legislation by claiming that “ironically, the Irish PM hates the Irish people”.
And the inflammatory remark has seen Varadkar – of the Fine Gael party - defended by his political opponents, with Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane responding to simply say “no he doesn’t”.
Labour’s education and justice spokesperson, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin took a blunt approach in his response, branding Musk “another gobs****”.
Others also waded in on Twitter/X to slam Musk’s intervention:
It’s also been pointed out that hate has been pretty prominent on Musk’s own social media platform, with brands such as Apple and IBM suspending advertising over antisemitic content on the site, and a pro-Hitler account reportedly being paid $3,000 through Twitter/X’s advertising revenue scheme.
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