A Leicester MP has branded Elon Musk’s comments on rape gangs “dangerous” and “false”. Shockat Adam accused the American billionaire and owner of social media platform X of using “truly horrific cases” to “demonise a community” and “slander a minister of the crown”.
His comments, made in Parliament yesterday (Monday, January 6), follow a series of posts made by Mr Musk in relation to grooming gangs abusing young girls in the UK. His involvement was sparked by conversation on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the horrific abuses of predominantly white girls by groups of men of predominantly Pakistani descent in Rotherham, Oldham, Rochdale and other UK towns. Mr Musk hit out at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was head of the Crown Prosecution Service at the time, and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.
Mr Adam, who became the Independent MP for Leicester South in July’s General Election, labelled the billionaire an “overseas bad faith actor” and said demonising a community risks giving potential victims “a false sense of security with people who don’t fit that stereotype”.
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He told the Commons: “Perpetrators of sexual crimes must face the full force of the law regardless of their race, their religion or their nationality. But an overseas bad faith actor is using truly horrific cases of group-based child rape to demonise a community and slander a minister of the crown, someone who has genuine experiences in helping victims of abuse.
“This narrative is false and this narrative is dangerous. Many reports from 2015 to 2024 have concluded that the common denominator for sexual violence is not immigration, race or culture. Isn’t this the real point here? If the victims have been falsely told perpetrators look a certain way, or are part of a certain community, they will have a false sense of security when with people who don’t fit that stereotype.”
Responding to his comments, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “One of the points that the independent inquiry made was the broad nature of this abuse, and the way in which it can be found anywhere.”
Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South
(Image: LeicestershireLive)
She added: “It means you have real serious problems and failings within all kinds of different institutions, as the inquiry found, looking into issues within local councils, within care homes, within faith organisations, including the Church of England, within different grooming and exploitation groups. Wherever it is found, we have to have these treated as terrible crimes against children, no excuses.”
Responding to Mr Musk’s comments, Sir Keir wrote in The Sun: “My fight to change the way that the prosecution service operated is a matter of public record. Making sure the men responsible for these despicable acts were brought to justice. Put in the dock. Then behind bars.
“That is why I brought the first prosecution for a grooming gang. Far-right voices have tried to rewrite history,” he added.