Study: Musk's X reposts fueled far-right protests in Northern Ireland

In the course of the protests, violent riots broke out. Masked demonstrators set fire to vehicles and buildings. People with a migration background sometimes had to be rescued from their homes under police protection. In the area around Belfast, there had been violent anti-foreigner protests on several evenings since Monday. Police used water cannons against stone-throwing demonstrators.

Violence on the streets of Belfast

The trigger for the riots was the release of a video of a brutal knife attack for which a Sudanese migrant is held responsible. In the attack in Belfast, a man was seriously injured. The suspect, a 30-year-old asylum seeker from Sudan, is in pre-trial detention. Far-right activists had called for the demonstrations.

After Musk bought the online service and renamed it X, the far-right activist was allowed to speak his mind there again. Robinson's account had previously been banned on the platform – which was still called Twitter at the time. According to CCDH, Musk expanded Lowe's reach by increasingly posting and spreading his speeches in recent weeks, claiming that only his party could "save Great Britain."

Role of the owner and reach

Elon Musk, who as the owner of X claims to have around 240 million followers on the platform, addressed his supporters directly with a call: "Nur wenn wir wiederholt und laut protestieren, wird sich etwas ändern." X initially did not respond to a request for comment from the news agency AFP.

CCDH documented, according to its own figures, 3,900 comments containing calls for violence against migrants, including incitements to lynch. In the reactions to the posts on the topic of Belfast from the three accounts, there was an "explosion of calls for violence," according to the organization. Vehicles and also houses were set on fire.

CCDH: "Unprecedented power"

Imran Ahmed, Imran Ahmed, said: "Als Eigentümer von X und Nutzer mit den meisten Followern verfügt Musk über eine beispiellose Macht, zu beeinflussen, was die Menschen online sehen." He added: "Unsere Untersuchungen zeigen jedoch, dass er die Tragödie von Belfast dazu nutzte, migrationsfeindliche Narrative an Millionen Nutzer zu verbreiten." This power comes with "die Verantwortung für die Inhalte und das Verhalten einher, die seine Plattform fördert".

The CCDH researchers conclude that Musk's amplification was decisive. The report was broadcast on June 13, 2026 on the program Deutschlandfunk. The incidents in Northern Ireland throw a spotlight on the debate about the role of social media in spreading extremist content and escalating protests.