HUMZA Yousaf has issued a clarification after Unionist accounts on X/Twitter shared a doctored tweet purported to be from the former first minister.
On Thursday, Yousaf retweeted a post from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon which expressed outrage and sadness at the death of two UN colleagues who were killed by Israeli missile attacks in the country.
Yousaf said: “The Israeli government is killing children, women, and humanitarian workers in Lebanon, just as they have in Gaza.
“If international law is to be worth the paper it is written on, then there must be accountability, not impunity.”
The Israeli government is killing children, women, and humanitarian workers in Lebanon, just as they have in Gaza. If International Law is to be worth the paper it is written on, then there must be accountability, not impunity. https://t.co/jYeAJEBCpX
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) September 24, 2024
However, figures on the platform — including one journalist and several Unionist accounts — soon began sharing a screenshot which appeared to show that Yousaf’s tweet had been deleted.
The second sentence of Yousaf’s tweet had also been changed in the screenshot to say “not impunity for the Zionists”.
Yet Yousaf’s tweet had not been deleted or edited.
Indeed, X/Twitter posts which have been edited display an icon to show viewers the changes which were made to the original post.
Yousaf’s tweet remains up and does not display this icon.
Despite this, the screenshot has been shared widely on the platform by accounts such as @ScotNatWatch, @DownWithTheSNP and others who accused Yousaf of antisemitism.
In response, a spokesperson for Yousaf has issued a clarification and criticised the spreading of disinformation.
A spokesperson for Yousaf said: “Those who oppose Humza for standing up against the mass slaughter of innocent men, women and children, have shown their desperation by sharing doctored images to try and impugn his reputation.
“Decent journalists would and should check the validity of any post before sharing it with tens of thousands of followers.
“Humza has made it clear that he will not be silenced, and will continue to speak out about the atrocities we are witnessing in both Gaza and now Lebanon, and no campaign of disinformation will silence him.”
It comes after Yousaf clashed with Twitter owner Elon Musk earlier in the month after Musk shared a video which claimed a new law in Scotland threatened to jail people for seven years if they misgendered someone.
Sharing the video, Musk said: “This is crazy”.
Retweeting Musk, Yousaf replied: “This is bullshit”.
