HUMZA Yousaf has accused Elon Musk of "amplifying white supremacy" through his ownership of Twitter/X.
During an appearance on US news channel CNN, the former first minister hit out at Musk in the wake of far-right riots in England and Northern Ireland.
"He [Musk] is, I would suggest, one of the most dangerous men on the planet," he said.
"He uses his billions, he is unaccountable to anyone, to amplify far-right, white supremacist ideology.
"He has suggested, I think is hoping for, civil war in some parts of Europe including in the UK.
"And instead of using X as a platform for good, and using his enormous wealth for good, he is using it, I think, for the most wicked evil possible.
"And in terms of regulation let me say this is something that the Prime Minister Keir Starmer will now have to think seriously about what more needs to be done.
"We need to have better regulation to ensure that we don't have the kind of disinformation that has run rampant in the last week be allowed to do so in the future with such devastating consequences."
It is not the working class that is responsible for spreading disinformation about Muslims and migrants. It is men with power and wealth like Elon Musk and Nigel Farage who amplify far-right conspiracy theories. We must get organised and confront their hateful ideology. pic.twitter.com/VhpyVzihBS
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 8, 2024
On Thursday, Musk shared a fake Telegraph article claiming Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to "emergency detainment camps" in the Falklands.
A spokesperson for the Telegraph Media Group said it was a "fabricated headline for an article that does not exist".
It is understood to have been viewed nearly 2 million times before it was deleted by the Twitter/X owner without comment or acknowledgement of his spreading of disinformation.
Earlier in the interview, Yousaf also criticised Nigel Farage for enflaming racial tensions in the UK.
"He has of course in the past said that Muslims are a fifth column in the UK, waiting to kill people in the UK.
"He has said that migrants are coming here to take us over.
"He started the General Election campaign by saying many Muslims do not share British values.
"If there is a dog whistle to be blown then Nigel Farage will always be at the very front of the queue."
It comes after Yousaf said fears for the safety of his family had led him to consider leaving Scotland in the wake of the far-right riots.
