Emily Maitlis on the Belfast riots, Elon Musk, and the anti-migrant frenzy
6/11/202616 min
The scenes in Belfast this week have been horrifying to watch - ugly clashes, masked men rioting in the streets, immigrant families begging neighbours to hide their children - fearing for their safety.
Politicians, far-right agitators, and billionaire Elon Musk have been accused of sparking the riots - weaponising a brutal stabbing attack, to ramp up anti-migrant rhetoric and whip protestors into a frenzy.
Today, British journalist and host of The News Agents, Emily Maitlis on the far-right forces at play in the UK, and why the Belfast riots should serve as a warning to Australia, and the world.
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Guest: Journalist Emily Maitlis
Photo: PA/PA Wire
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRuby Jones· Host0:00
[gentle music] I'm Ruby Jones, and you're listening to 7AM. The scenes in Belfast this week have been horrifying to watch. Ugly clashes, masked men rioting in the streets, immigrant families begging neighbors to hide their children, fearing for their safety. Politicians, far-right agitators, and billionaire Elon Musk have been accused of sparking the riots, weaponizing a brutal stabbing attack to ramp up anti-migrant rhetoric and whip protestors into a frenzy. Today, British journalist and host of The News Agents, Emily Maitlis, on the far-right forces at play in the UK, and why the Belfast riots should serve as a warning to Australia and the world. It's Friday, June 12th. Emily, welcome to 7AM. Great to have you on the show.
Emily Maitlis· Guest1:03
Lovely to be here, Ruby.
Ruby Jones· Host1:04
So to begin with, um, what we've been seeing in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, over the past day or so, there's been cars torched, homes set alight, people forced to flee. Describe to me what's been happening on the ground.
Emily Maitlis· Guest1:17
Yeah, it all started really, uh, late Monday night when a video began circulating online, which was pretty graphic. I mean, for those who are squeamish, I, I don't wanna spell this out too vividly, but essentially