Musk and the Media’s Weaponisation of Far Right Misinformation Is an Insult to Grooming Survivors

If these outlets really cared about the victims, they wouldn't be deliberately fuelling the far-right’s selective outrage machine, writes the Bear

I would like to start with a statement that is unequivocal:

The issue of child sexual abuse is a national disgrace.

This is not up for debate. The failures in Rochdale, Rotherham, and Telford should haunt our institutions for generations. Girls – children – were catastrophically failed by the systems meant to protect them, and that betrayal demands accountability and justice.

But there’s a dangerous trend in how this conversation is being framed. While many people across the UK (and the world) are rightly angry about these failures, others are hijacking this anger, weaponising it, and muddying the waters with misinformation.

Over the past week, Elon Musk, billionaire investor, social media-mogul and an incoming official for the United States Government has been relentlessly amplifying far-right propaganda about grooming gangs. He has reposted content from accounts like Inevitable West, Peter Sweden, and Turning Point UK – accounts that are notorious for distorting facts and pushing divisive narratives.

Musk has also recently emerged as a vocal supporter of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson), a man who once nearly derailed a grooming gang trial with his reckless behaviour and has built his career on stoking racial tensions.

This is not the behaviour of someone genuinely invested in justice. It’s the behaviour of someone amplifying lies, manufacturing outrage, and creating division. It’s cynical, dangerous, and an insult to victims of child sexual abuse.