SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is throwing his weight behind growing calls for a new investigation into the scandal of child exploitation by grooming gangs in the United Kingdom, even as he backed calls for King Charles III to intervene Is.
“National inquiry now!” Musk declared the scam on Twitter on Friday to be “the worst mass crime ever committed against the British people”.
Britain has been dealing for years with the revelation that multiple grooming gangs, often involving men of South Asian or British Pakistani origin, exploited children for decades in cities and towns in the north of England, including Rochdale, Telford, Manchester and Rotherham. Have been. ,
Britain hit by another Asian grooming gang scandal, report reveals child sexual abuse in Manchester
Elon Musk listens to President-elect Donald Trump’s speech as he addresses a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
An independent review of grooming in Rotherham in 2014 found that the majority of perpetrators were of Pakistani origin and stated that “the horrific nature of the abuse suffered by child victims is difficult to describe.”
“They were raped by a number of perpetrators, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, kidnapped, beaten and intimidated. There were instances of children who were doused in petrol and threatened with being set on fire “They were made to witness brutal rapes and were threatened that if they told anyone, they would be next,” the report said. with big Raped by male perpetrators in numbers.”
That report found that approximately 1,400 children were abused between 1997 and 2013. It also stressed that abuses “are not limited to the past but continue today.”
The report found that police did not give abuse cases any priority and failed to take action. It also found that at least one report was “effectively suppressed” and others were ignored by local authorities. It found that while some people did not believe the information, others were intimidated by political correctness.
It added, “Many staff described their nervousness about identifying the ethnic origins of criminals for fear of being thought racist; others recalled explicit instructions from their managers not to do so.”
New report says 1,510 children exploited in Rotherham sex scandal
A review in Telford found that a high proportion of cases involved men described as “Asian” or “Pakistani” and that Telford officials were concerned that the allegations “had the potential to trigger a race riot.” A comprehensive Home Office report in 2020 stated that while high-profile cases “predominantly involve men of Pakistani ethnicity”, it also cited research showing that group-based child sexual abuse perpetrators are most likely white .
The scandal was seen by many as prioritizing multiculturalism and political correctness over the welfare of British children and the prosecution of criminals.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses members at the Labor Party conference in Liverpool, England on Tuesday. (AP)
The issue recently heated up again when local politicians in the town of Oldham called for a government inquiry into child abuse from the Home Office in July. A 2022 report on Oldham’s actions between 2011 and 2014 found that children were failed by local agencies, but also found that there was no cover-up despite “legitimate concerns” that far -Draz will take advantage of “high-profile convictions”. There are mainly Pakistani criminals in the entire country.”
The Manchester Evening News reported that Home Office Minister Jess Phillips, responding to the request in October, said that any such investigation should be conducted at a local level.
A Home Office spokesperson said, “Survivors are at the heart of our work to end child sexual exploitation. Whatever happens in the context of future inquiries, we have promised them that their wishes will be paramount and we will continue to live up to that pledge.” Will not back down from.” Shop.
20 people found guilty of raping more than a dozen teenage girls in northern England
“We all recognize that terrible mistakes were made in the past, that children were ignored or rejected,” he said.
That response was condemned by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who called for a full national investigation into the “rape gang scandal”.
“It is long past time for a full national investigation into the rape gang scandal,” he said on X. “There have been trials across the country in recent years but no officials have been involved.”
“2025 should be the year when victims start getting justice,” he said.
King Charles III leaves after receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate at The London Clinic in London on January 29, 2024. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Musk, whom President-elect Trump has chosen to lead the government efficiency department, also backed calls for King Charles III to intervene—noting that current Prime Minister Keir Starmer was head of the Crown Prosecution Service at the time of the scandals. , although the scandals usually involved local officials.
“Yes,” Musk said in response to a post that said King “should step down.”
He further said, “They oppose the investigation, because it will reveal that people in power were involved in covering up the matter,” he said of the government.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting, responding to Musk’s comments, told ITV News that the government takes child abuse “incredibly seriously” and reiterated that the investigation into Oldham should be conducted at a local level.
“Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think they’re misjudged and certainly misinformed, but we’re willing to work with Elon Musk, who I think They have a bigger role to play with their social media platforms to help us and others.” Countries have to deal with this serious issue,” he said. “So if they want to work with us and roll up their sleeves, we would welcome that.”
Fox News Digital contacted the British Government Home Office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
