X has been accused of giving racists 'impunity' after refusing to bar posts containing the N-word and P-word targeting prominent UK politicians. The platform took no action over hate posts against figures including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Reform UK's Zia Yusuf.
Research Findings
In May, researchers from the thinktank British Future reported 30 posts from this year in which Badenoch was called the N-word. Each post was reported using X's 'hate, abuse or harassment' option, but the platform refused to act in the majority of cases, even after repeated requests.
The Guardian understands that X routinely takes action only when posts are reported as illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act. In such cases, it restricts visibility in the UK while leaving the post unrestricted elsewhere.
Researcher's Perspective
Avaes Mohammad, a researcher with British Future's British South Asian Bridgers cohesion project, said: 'Many people will intuitively report racist posts as hate, abuse or harassment – but it seems X doesn't consider it as hate. Our research found that it was only when a post is described as illegal, which they can't dispute, that they will consider taking it down.'
X eventually restricted visibility for just two of the 30 messages in which Badenoch was called the N-word, and only after British Future director Sunder Katwala emailed the platform, stating he should not have to fill out an 'onerous' form for each report as illegal.
Broader Context
Elon Musk has been using X to amplify far-right narratives since buying the platform in 2022. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this month accused Musk of trying to 'whip up division' with his tweets about the murder of student Henry Nowak in Southampton.
The Online Safety Act, being phased in by communications regulator Ofcom, requires platforms to remove illegal content, including racially or religiously aggravated offending.
P-word Reports
On 15 May, the same day Ofcom announced X had voluntarily committed to remove illegal content within 48 hours, British Future reported 33 uses of the P-word targeting UK public figures. Reform UK's Zia Yusuf was told in one tweet to 'sod off' to Pakistan. Others targeted included Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, former SNP leader Humza Yousaf, Reform UK London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, Advance UK founder Ben Habib, and Your Party founder Zarah Sultana.
Forty-eight hours later, none of the 33 posts had been removed. When British Future emailed X, the platform advised using the 'UK illegal content' option from the 'report post' menu, noting that reports through other channels are handled under general policies and do not count toward expedited review targets under the Online Safety Act.
X eventually restricted 20 of the tweets within the UK after being contacted by Ofcom, but took no action against the rest. Among untouched messages was a picture of a noose tweeted to Sultana, saying 'fuck off' and using the P-word.
Continued Inaction
On 26 May, British Future reported another nine posts using the P-word against British Asian public figures. In six cases, X failed to act because they were reported as 'hate, abuse or harassment'. It only acted when posts were reported as illegal in the remaining three cases. None of the account holders behind any offensive tweets have been suspended, including one who used the N-word 45 times in a week.
British Future says the platform's approach means racists can operate with impunity on X. Mohammad added: 'The accounts we are reporting are often replete with mentions of Reform and Restore. In May, the N-word racist slur was used about Kemi Badenoch an average of once a day. But on 2 June, after Badenoch responded to Nigel Farage's speech about Henry Nowak, there were 16 examples in a day – pointing to how much far-right political sentiment is driving the hate on X.'
Ofcom's Response
Ofcom said it condemned racism 'in all its forms', and its job was to ensure sites had 'appropriate measures in place to comply with their duties' rather than telling them what to take down. The regulator said X had committed to reviewing and assessing UK suspected illegal terrorist and hate content reported through its dedicated tool within an average of 24 hours, adding: 'We'll be carrying out quarterly reviews of X's performance.'
X did not respond to requests for comment.
