London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday condemned as “dangerous” comments by Elon Musk, after the X and Tesla owner told an anti-immigration rally that violence was coming to Britain and that people must “fight or die.” The government, however, resisted opposition calls to sanction Musk over the remarks.

Starmer denounced violence on the fringes of Saturday’s “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration in London, organized by far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson, which drew more than 100,000 people. Police said 26 officers were injured, four seriously, as protesters tried to breach lines separating them from a smaller anti-racist counterdemonstration. Twenty-five people were arrested, with more detentions expected.

Speaking to the rally by video link, Musk urged the dissolution of Parliament and an early election to oust Starmer’s center-left government. He told protesters that “violence is coming to you” and warned, “you either fight back or you die.”

Dave Pares, the prime minister’s spokesman, said he did not believe “the British public will have any truck with that kind of language.”

“The UK is a fair, tolerant and decent country,” Pares said. “The last thing people want is inflammatory rhetoric that threatens violence and intimidation on our streets.”

Calls for sanctions
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged Starmer and Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch to condemn Musk’s attempt “to sow discord and incite violence” and to consider possible sanctions.

“They should consider what sanctions Elon Musk should face as a consequence,” Davey said.

Starmer’s office said the government had no plans to contact Musk. The prime minister later wrote on X that peaceful protest was “core to our country’s values,” but stressed: “We will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the color of their skin.”

Musk, a onetime ally of Donald Trump, has previously aligned with far-right figures in Europe, including Robinson, a convicted fraudster and founder of the anti-Islam English Defense League, and Germany’s Alternative for Germany party (AfD). He has also criticized efforts by Britain and other European governments to curb harmful online content, saying they restrict free speech.

Immigration tensions
Saturday’s rally highlighted growing concern over unauthorized immigration, particularly the arrival of migrants across the English Channel in small boats. More than 30,000 people have made the dangerous crossing from France this year, despite joint efforts by Britain, France and others to disrupt the smuggling networks behind the trips.

The use of hotels to house asylum-seekers has also fueled political tensions, triggering dozens of small but sometimes violent protests over the summer.

Flags as symbols
Demonstrators waved the Union Jack and the red-and-white St. George’s Cross of England, symbols that have proliferated in recent weeks on lampposts, motorway bridges, and buildings. Red crosses painted on walls have been seen by some as an intimidating gesture toward ethnic minorities.

The St. George’s Cross has long carried mixed associations. It is widely used to show pride in England’s sports teams but has also been adopted by anti-immigration groups and the far right.

“Flags can unite and divide as they are flown by people with different motives and meanings,” said Sunder Katwala of the think tank British Future.

James Freeman, a political historian at the University of Bristol, said using flags to intimidate or mark territory is a familiar phenomenon, though the link between the St. George’s Cross and the far right is “relatively recent.”

Starmer, who supports the flag as a symbol of national pride, wrote on X that “Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country, and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.”