Elon Musk backs British never colonised India post on X

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 03, Oct 2025, 18:41 pm IST | UPDATED: 03, Oct 2025, 18:41 pm IST

New Delhi: A social media post, which seems to legitimise British rule in India, has sparked a massive stir. The X post, shared by a handle named “Freedomain,” put forth a strange argument claiming that the British never ruled India and that India was never a colony of Britain.

Stephen Molyneux, who runs the handle, argued that if Indians can go to England and become British (by adopting a new identity through migration), then similarly, the British who came to India became Indian.

Based on this reasoning, he concluded that the British did not rule India, and therefore, colonization never happened.

What made this post even more significant was the reaction from X owner Elon Musk, who responded with a 'thinking' emoji.

The post has so far amassed more than 1.9 crore views. Musk’s reply over the post has been viewed by 1.7 crore users. Over 10,000 users have posted their comments, most of them asking Musk sharp questions, accusing him of downplaying the seriousness of British colonialism.

“By this logic when Germans set foot in France in 1940, they became French. Thus French occupied France. Similarly, Americans became Afghan and Iraqis in 2003. And now, the Russian troops occupying Ukraine are Ukrainians. There's no need for them to go back,” a user posted.

Another said, “Never expected that even @elonmusk would have to think about this lame logic. If only the British had truly stayed in India, earning here, spending here, instead of working/looting and sending remittances/resources/money to the UK. Many foreign invaders came to India and eventually settled, blending into local culture. The British didn’t, they stayed separate and never became part of Indian society. An Indian in England only “becomes English” if they settle permanently; otherwise, it’s just immigration. Likewise, the British in India would only be called “Indian” if they had truly settled here like previous invaders but they never did. That’s why they’re colonizers.”

“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,” the third posted targeting Musk.