Elon Musk, the erratic owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, has turned his fury on former First Minister Humza Yousaf.
The pair are locked in a war of words on the social media platform after Mr Musk branded the Dundee-based politician a “super, super racist”.
There has even been a threat of legal action.
What caused Elon Musk row with Humza Yousaf?
Mr Musk’s stooshie with Mr Yousaf comes after a week of attention on other British politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The billionaire, who also owns electric-car manufacturer Tesla, has been heavily criticised for comments about anti-migrant riots in England and Northern Ireland.
He used his social media platform to claim “civil war” in the UK was “inevitable”.
And he criticised the lengthy prison sentences for those involved in the disruption, describing them as “messed up”.
Mr Musk suggested some groups were being treated more harshly than others.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Mr Yousaf then described the X owner as “one of the most dangerous men on the planet” because of his “amplification” of disinformation.
In return, referring to a speech Mr Yousaf made in Holyrood about racism in Scotland, Mr Musk hit back, claiming: “He is super, super racist.
“Scotland gave him everything and yet he loathes white people.”
Legal threat
The war of words escalated when the Sunday Mail reported Mr Yousaf is considering legal options.
His lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “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.
“Elon Musk has effectively painted a target on Humza Yousaf’s back with his completely unacceptable, untrue and inflammatory comments.”
Mr Yousaf ‘considering his options’
Mr Musk went on to call Mr Yousaf a “scumbag”.
He added: “He’s obviously super racist against white people. I dare that scumbag to sue me. Go ahead, make my day.
“Legal discovery will show that however big a racist he’s been in public communications, he is vastly worse in private communications.”
What could Mr Musk, who took control of X in October 2022, be hinting at?
It’s not the first time the pair have clashed.
In October last year, Mr Musk posted “what a blatant racist” on X in response to a clip where Mr Yousaf draws attention to a lack of ethnic diversity among senior public roles.
Mr Yousaf responded on the social media platform: “Racists are foaming at the mouth at my very existence.”
Underneath, a short clip repeats of Still Game’s Asian shopkeeper Navid – a hugely popular character in the BBC show played by Sanjeev Kohli – dancing behind the counter of his store.
Mr Yousaf has been repeatedly targeted over his race and religion, and said last week that the riots had made him question his future in the UK.
He lives in Dundee with his family, including his wife, Dundee councillor Nadia El-Nakla, and young children.
He said: “You cut me open, I’m as about as Scottish as you come.
“But the truth of the matter is, I don’t know whether the future for me and my wife and my three children is going to be here in Scotland or the United Kingdom, or indeed in Europe and the West, because I have for some time really worried about the rise of Islamophobia.”
Conversation