Elon Musk to face ‘legislative action’ if X fails to remove Southport-linked violent content

Scottish Labour MP Gregor Poynton has threatened Elon Musk with “legislative consequences” if violent content linked to the Southport attack isn’t removed from X – formerly known as Twitter.

This comes after the platform refused to take down a harmful video that was viewed by Axel Rudakubana before he murdered three young girls in Southport last year, despite numerous calls by authorities to do so.

The video, depicting a stabbing attack in Sydney, has only been geoblocked in Australia, meaning that it remains available to people elsewhere in the world.

Unlike X, other firms including Google and TikTok removed the video shortly after the knife attack took place.

In a letter to X, Poynton, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on children’s online safety, described the firm’s refusal to remove the content as a “grotesque glorification of violence” and a “chilling example” of how it “has facilitated real-world harm”.

He urged Musk to take down the video and review his platform’s moderation policies or risk “further regulatory scrutiny and potential legislative consequences”.

Rudakubana was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years in prison last month for the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

“This decision is deeply troubling and suggests that your platform prioritises clicks and traffic over the safety of users and the public,” Poynton said. “This is not an issue of free speech—it is about safeguarding lives.”

The letter continued: “Your inaction undermines global efforts to protect online spaces from becoming breeding grounds for radicalisation and harm. It is entirely unacceptable that content capable of inciting violence remains on your site, accessible to users in the UK and around the world.”

It was co-signed by seven members of the APPG which includes MPs, peers, and online safety organisations.

Poynton added: “Lives are at stake, and it is your responsibility to ensure your platform does not remain complicit in enabling harm.”