Tech billionaire Elon Musk supported a British MP's post arguing that a London railway station name should appear only in English after a dual-language signboard featured “Bengali” as well.
Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, shared an image of the bilingual sign at Whitechapel Station on his official X account. "This is London - the station name should be in English, and English only," said Lowe, a Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth, on Sunday.
His post quickly gained traction online and even drew a response from Elon Musk, the owner of X, who simply replied, “Yes.”
Musk, known for his close ties to former US President Donald Trump, recently suggested that Nigel Farage should be replaced as Reform UK leader and appeared to endorse 67-year-old Lowe. While some social media users supported Lowe’s stance, others defended multilingual signs, arguing they were “not wrong.”
{{/usCountry}}Musk, known for his close ties to former US President Donald Trump, recently suggested that Nigel Farage should be replaced as Reform UK leader and appeared to endorse 67-year-old Lowe. While some social media users supported Lowe’s stance, others defended multilingual signs, arguing they were “not wrong.”
{{/usCountry}}Musk has previously sought to influence British politics and has criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeatedly since anti-immigration riots last summer. He backed calls for a national inquiry into the handling of cases of rape by men of Pakistani heritage of underage girls by the government's prosecution service which Starmer previously ran.
Reactions
Lowe’s post sparked mixed reactions on X, with some users backing his stance while others defended bilingual signage.
One user supported Lowe’s perspective, writing, “Couldn't agree more Rupert, it's time to stand up for our national identity and language. We shouldn't be pandering to every other culture at the expense of our own, it's just common sense. Well said, keep speaking out against this woke nonsense.”
However, not everyone agreed. One user countered, “While I appreciate the sentiment imagine visiting Tokyo or Shanghai and not a single sign was written in English?”
When was the Bengali signage set up?
A Bengali sign was installed at Whitechapel Tube station in 2022 to honor the contributions of the Bangladeshi community to east London.
The Tower Hamlets Council funded dual-language signage throughout Whitechapel Station as part of broader development efforts. The area is said to have the largest Bangladeshi community in the UK.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed the initiative.
“Proud to note that the London Tube Rail has accepted Bengali as a language of signage at Whitechapel Station, signifying the increasing global importance and strength of the 1000-year-old language,” she wrote on X in March 2022.
In another post, she emphasised that the decision highlighted the importance of cultural unity among the diaspora.
"It is a victory of our culture and heritage," Banerjee said.