Elon Musk challenged former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf to sue him after Yousaf considered legal action regarding Musk’s claim that he is “super racist” against white people.
Musk’s comments followed Yousaf’s promotion of a controversial hate speech law and his criticisms of Scotland’s racial makeup during a 2020 speech.
Yousaf’s attorney argued that Musk’s remarks were inflammatory and painted a target on Yousaf’s back.
NEW: Elon Musk has labelled Humza Yousaf a 'scumbag' as he responded to a legal warning from the former first minister's team.
The billionaire Twitter/X owner said he 'dared' the SNP MSP to sue him. pic.twitter.com/fODXjtqzUQ
— The National (@ScotNational) August 12, 2024
“Make my day,” X owner Elon Musk wrote.
“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,” Yousaf’s attorney, Aamer Anwar stated.
“Elon Musk has effectively painted a target on Humza Yousaf’s back with his completely unacceptable, untrue and inflammatory comments.”
In response to the potential lawsuit, Musk expressed confidence, suggesting that legal proceedings would reveal Yousaf’s deeper racism.
“He’s obviously super racist against white people. I dare that scumbag to sue me. Go ahead, make my day,” Musk wrote.
“Legal discovery will show that however big a racist he’s been in public communications, he is vastly worse in private communications,” he added.
Yousaf has also accused Musk of exacerbating division in the UK with his social media influence and expressed concerns about rising Islamophobia in the wake of recent riots, leading him to contemplate leaving the country with his family.
“These are people sitting in their mothers’ basements in their Y-fronts eating spaghetti hoops out of a can, then Musk amplifies their nonsense to his 193 million followers. That then spreads like wildfire,” Yousaf said.
“He seems to be hoping for civil war in the UK, he has used those words time and again, almost instigating it. I think he is one of the most dangerous men on the planet,” he said.
