Billionaire Elon Musk has entered the discourse surrounding British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s controversial remarks about “Asian grooming gangs” in connection with historical child sexual abuse cases in northern England. Musk has shown support for Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who condemned the use of the term “Asian” to categorize the offenders, arguing that it unjustly implicates an entire continent for crimes that are primarily associated with individuals of Pakistani descent. Chaturvedi expressed her concerns on the social media platform X, asserting, “Repeat after me, they aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs. Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?” Musk’s succinct yet powerful response was simply, “True.” This exchange has reignited discussions surrounding the grooming gang issue, which has persisted for decades and has involved extensive sexual exploitation of predominantly white British girls in various towns, including Rotherham, Rochdale, and Derbyshire. In light of the ongoing scrutiny, Starmer has defended his record, asserting that during his tenure as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013, he oversaw the first successful prosecution of an “Asian grooming gang.” He has dismissed calls for a new national inquiry, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the implementation of the recommendations from a previous seven-year investigation that provided 20 suggestions for improvement. The controversy has also attracted criticism from various diaspora organizations, such as the Network of Sikh Organisations in the UK, which expressed discontent with Starmer’s terminology. As the debate continues, it highlights the complexities and sensitivities surrounding the issues of race, crime, and accountability in the context of child sexual exploitation.
Elon Musk supported an Indian Member of Parliament who criticized the use of the term ‘Asian’ in relation to ‘grooming gangs’ in the UK, instead referring to them as ‘Pakistanis.’
