HUMZA Yousaf has said he won’t be “bullied off Twitter/X” by Elon Musk following a row between the former first minister and the billionaire owner of the platform.
It comes following reports last month that Yousaf’s legal team had issued a warning to the alt-right owner of Twitter/X after he labelled the MSP “super, super racist”.
Musk then subsequently described Yousaf as a “scumbag” and said he “dared” the former SNP leader to sue him.
It was previously reported in The Guardian that a number of Labour MPs had started quitting the platform over disinformation around far-right riots in England.
However, Yousaf is among those who have stuck with the platform and continues to post consistently on his profile.
Speaking to the Sunday National, he said: “I shouldn’t be bullied off it by the world’s wealthiest man by all accounts.
“There’s no reason why I should leave and in fact many think he (Musk) should be the one to go – he is the cheerleader-in-chief of spreading disinformation.
“So I’m not going to get bullied by Elon Musk in any way shape or form, neither in terms of my criticism of him nor indeed necessarily leaving the platform.”
The clash between the pair dates back to October 2023, when Yousaf was still first minister, and Musk (above) branded the MSP a “blatant racist”.
He had reacted to a highly selective clip of Yousaf speaking when he was Scotland’s justice secretary which had originally been shared by an account called "End Wokeness".
The Twitter/X owner also shared disinformation in relation to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, including on posts which were disproved by top law academics in interviews with The National.
He later claimed that “civil war is inevitable” in response to a post blaming violent protests in England and Northern Ireland on “mass migration and open borders”.
Chiefs at social media site Bluesky have already suggested they are eyeing politicians for their platform following Musk’s commentary on UK current affairs.
Yousaf added that while he had not left the platform himself, it had been tempting to do so and that he had “quite a lot of sympathy” for those who have chosen to leave or limited the amount they are posting.
“There’s been temptations to leave for sure and that’s even in fairness before Elon Musk took over,” he said.
“It’s been reported before some of the horrendous abuse and death threats I have received on that platform.
“I’ve taken steps to protect myself from that abuse and I have to say my wife has been one of those to say to take measures to protect yourself or you go into a spiral of negativity reading the horrendous comments and abuse.”
While Yousaf has remained on Twitter/X despite a “definite temptation” to walk away, he added that he has started to make use of other platforms more frequently, such as Instagram.
“I was never a particularly prolific user before but have started a lot more over the last couple of years given the descent of Twitter/X as a platform,” the MSP said.
He continued: “The attraction of Twitter/X for those who follow current affairs and have an interest in politics is that it’s still to me where you often get the news first but you’ve got to question whether or not that information is legitimate or accurate or not.
“You get that news and you tend to get it on Twitter/X before any other platform. I suspect that might change in time and when it does there will be a mass unfollowing and deactivating of accounts.
“People stay because they have a significant following, which would take time on any other platform.”
Yousaf’s thoughts were echoed by SNP MP and the party’s deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart (below).
He told the Sunday National that he had stuck with Twitter/X because of the following he has built up over the years but conceded that his time on the platform has “greatly reduced”.
“I think, like so many, if we could somehow flawlessly transfer to some other more congenial site we would do so in a minute, but that option is not (yet) available,” he said.
“I also hope that maybe soon Musk will tire of his very expensive toy and we might be able to return to a more conducive, moderated environment where engagement is a bit more positive.
“I remember when Twitter was a useful place to spread the message about independence and to have conversations and debates with colleagues and opponents. Not now.”
Yousaf further described Twitter/X as a platform that “revels in far-right conspiracy theory” and called for “greater regulation and consequences for those whose disinformation leads to the likes of the race riots we saw”.
First Minister John Swinney (above) has been among those to call for social media platforms to tighten rules around misinformation while Downing Street was forced to intervene on disinformation about the death of three young girls in Southport.
Yousaf continued: “Something I’m keen to do work on is how we make sure those wanting to bring communities together are well-funded and that they’re up-skilled in terms of content creation.
“We need them backed with resources in a way that I’m afraid those who try to seek to divide communities are well-funded, their platforms are amplified.
“There has to be a counter to some of the hate we are seeing spread on Twitter/X.”
The Sunday National approached the Twitter/X press office for further comment.
