- Elon Musk responded with a “thinking emoji” to a post denying British colonization of India.
- The post claimed “English did not rule India,” sparking widespread outrage.
- Musk’s reply gained over 17 million views, amplifying the claim further.
- Indians criticized him for spreading hate and trivializing colonial history.
Netizens used sarcasm and historical arguments to counter the bizarre claim.Elon Musk is under fire after responding to a bizzare post on X that claimed the British never ruled India. The Tesla billionaire, who often stirs debate online, amplified the controversial statement by replying with a single 'thinking face' emoji. Despite not using words, Musk's response drew widespread criticism, especially from Indians who accused him legitimizing and historical distortion.
The original post, made by X user @StefanMolynewx, read, "if Indians set foot in England and become English. Then the English who set foot in India became Indian. Therefore the English did not rule India. There is no such thing as ‘colonization.'" The post was accompanied by an image of Indians and British people together, along with roosters.
Musk's reaction quickly went viral, with his reply gaining over 17 million views and the original post nearly 19 million views, largely because of the amplification by X's owner himself. Many users, however, were not amused and strongly pushed back against the claim.
“The SpaceX founder’s response angered many social media users, including Indians who accused him of spreading hate against them.” One user explained the difference by comparing it to a workplace scenario: “There’s a big difference between someone legally joining Tesla with proper documents and someone invading, overthrowing you, and declaring they’ll run the company.”
Another user added sarcastically, “A thief broke into my house last night. He’s our newest family member now.”
Other highlighted the historical truth behind colonization, “If Indians went to England, they went as students, workers, or travelers and lived under British law. They did not take over the land or force the English to live under Indian rule. But when the English came to India, they came with guns, armies, and cannons. They did not come to live as Indians. They came to rule, to loot, and to control.”
Another user mocked the logic of the post, writing, “I’ve been to the USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium and other countries. Am I from all of them now?”
The incident has once again sparked debate about Musk's role in amplifying controversial voices on his platform, especially when his comments or emojis give global reach to questionable claims.
