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'The problem is men': Humza Yousaf accuses Elon Musk of 'inflaming racial tensions' with talk of grooming gangs
9 January 2025, 19:14 | Updated: 9 January 2025, 19:19
Scotland's former First Minister has told LBC that "far-right agitators" including Elon Musk are attempting to "inflame racial tensions" in the UK.
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Speaking on a range of subjects including Asian grooming gangs, Humza Yousaf told Tonight with Andrew Marr that the problem of sexual violence against women extends far beyond ethnicity, noting the issue involved "men of all races".
"I hope they rot in jail. But the problem is with sexual violence towards women and girls. The problem is men and I'm afraid, men of all race," he admitted of those jailed in connection with the South Yorkshire grooming gangs.
He says he's afraid the likes of Musk and Tommy Robinson are suggesting that "somehow, inherently, Pakistanis or Muslims are more predisposed to rape or sexual violence".
It comes as Musk took to social media to reference to the infamous murder of Kriss Donald in 2004, simply writing: "First time I've heard of this".
The Glasgow schoolboy, aged 15 at the time, was abducted and killed in a racist attack by an Asian gang led by Imran Shahid on March 15 2004.
Andrew Marr interview Humza Yousaf | Watch again
Mr Yousaf, who served as Scotland's first minister between March 2023 and May 2024, told Marr that "those Pakistani men who were involved in those dreadful heinous crimes deserve to face the full force of the law.
"I genuinely hope that they rot in prison. I have no empathy, an iota of sympathy for them in any way, shape or form," he said.
"But let's also be very clear here that what you cannot do - and what I'm afraid is being done by many far-right agitators, from Tommy Robinson right the way through to Elon Musk himself, is an implication that because a very small minority of the Pakistani community - I mean less than I suspect a half a percent of the Pakistani population in the UK involved in such horrific crimes, that does not mean that you can imply that somehow inherently Pakistanis or Muslims are more predisposed to gang rape or sexual violence."
Mr Musk has clashed with Mr Yousaf online previously, attacking the Hate Crime Act which the SNP politician introduced.
The tech billionaire has previously taken aim at the Hate Crime Act which the SNP politician introduced.
Admitting he had "no issue with the calls for national inquiry," Mr Yousaf said that if victims in particular want a national inquiry, he has "no objection".
"My objection is the suggestion that somehow Pakistanis or Muslim men are more predisposed to these kind of crimes," said.
During the chat, Mr Yousaf was pressed on comments made by Conservative Robert Jenrick on immigration, which saw Tory leader Kemi Badenoch come under pressure to sack him as an MP.
Mr Jenrick had called to limit migration, calling it a "importation of medieval alien cultures".
"It is what everybody feared the Conservatives would possibly do," said Mr Yousaf. "They are veering to the very heart and even to the far right in order to try to stop reforms, momentum. It's astonishing."
"I certainly think that they are purposely trying to fan the flames of racial tension. I'm not going to sit here and call Robert Jenrick a racist.
Adding: "(If) by alien cultures he means people who are not white...that clearly is racist."
It comes as the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX, who has grown close to Trump in recent months, continued to take aim at UK politicians.
This has included attacking the Prime Minister as "two tier Keir" who delivers "no justice for severe, violent crimes, but prison for social media posts".
