"Elon Musk is a dangerous race baiter"
Humza Yousaf and Elon Musk have been feuding on X and the war of words has been escalating.
The latest exchange happened following reports that Mr Yousaf’s legal team had issued a warning to Elon Musk.
Mr Yousaf appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and branded Mr Musk one of the most dangerous men on the planet.
The former Scottish first minister said:
“He is not accountable to anybody. He has vast wealth at his fingertips, and he uses it for some of the most wicked evil I’ve seen.”
Mr Yousaf accused Mr Musk of having “amplified” white supremacists and far-right neo-Nazi conspiracy theories, highlighting how he had controversially claimed that “civil war is inevitable” as he appeared to post in support of far-right rioters.
The next day, Mr Musk claimed Mr Yousaf is “super, super racist”.
The billionaire added: “Scotland gave him everything and yet he loathes white people.”
In the wake of the clash, it was reported that Humza Yousaf is “considering all options”, including legal action against Elon Musk.
His lawyer Aamer Anwar told the Sunday Mail:
“Anybody who goes on social media, even if they own the platform and thinks that free speech is absolute whether in the UK or USA, needs to think again.
“Free speech carries responsibility and if you break the law there are consequences, as we have seen in recent days.
“Elon Musk has effectively painted a target on Humza Yousaf’s back with his completely unacceptable, untrue and inflammatory comments.
“If others choose to incite racial hatred against Humza or others, they should expect multiple years in prison.
“Social media is not a law-free zone and where actions are criminal and harmful you can expect the full force of the law.”
Mr Yousaf shared the story about the legal warning and wrote:
“Elon Musk is a dangerous race baiter who must be held to account for his actions.
“I can’t think what it is that upsets him so much about a brown, Muslim, progressive politician?
“But his billions won’t stop me calling out his support for the far-right.”
Elon Musk is a dangerous race baiter who must be held to account for his actions.
I can’t think what it is that upsets him so much about a Brown, Muslim, progressive politician? ? But his billions won’t stop me calling out his support for the far-right.https://t.co/d2i2PIpVMd
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 11, 2024
One netizen responded to Mr Yousaf:
“You’re a dangerous race baiter who must be held to account for your actions.”
In turn, Mr Musk said: “Exactly.”
Mr Musk’s claims that Mr Yousaf is a racist have focused on a speech he gave to the Scottish Parliament in June 2020, while justice minister.
A shortened version of the speech has often been used by alt- and far-right figures to claim it shows the former SNP leader arguing that Scotland has too many white people.
However, the independent Ferret fact-checking service found such claims to be “false”, concluding the clipped video showed “part of a wider statement he made in the Scottish Parliament in 2020 about structural racism and inequality in Scotland”.
The online feud comes after First Minister John Swinney told social media giants that “immediate action” must be taken to crack down on disinformation and racism following concerns it has exacerbated tensions in the UK, fuelling riots in England and Northern Ireland.
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