Elon Musk has sparked backlash by responding with a “🤔” emoji to a controversial post that misrepresented British colonisation of India. The post falsely claimed there was “no such thing as colonisation,” arguing that just as Indians in England become English, the British in India became Indian—implying the British didn’t actually rule India. Musk’s emoji reply was widely criticised for appearing to support a distortion of historical facts, equating colonisation with cultural exchange or migration, while ignoring the oppression and exploitation India endured under British rule.
Social media users quickly responded, pointing out the clear distinction between colonisation and immigration. One user questioned Musk’s stance on illegal immigration, contrasting it with his reaction to the post. Others highlighted historical atrocities such as the 1943 Bengal Famine, worsened by Churchill’s policies, which led to millions of Indian deaths while food was exported abroad.
Some responses were sarcastic, comparing the logic to Nazi Germany in France or modern conflicts like Russia in Ukraine. Even X’s AI chatbot Grok noted that the post ignored key differences between forced rule and voluntary migration.