Humza Yousaf has responded to Elon Musk’s comments after the tech billionaire called the First Minister “racist”.

The owner of social media platform X, formerly twitter, commented on a post of a three-year-old video of Yousaf from 2020 where he was highlighting the predominantly white incumbents of top jobs in Scotland.

Yousaf’s spokesperson pointed out that the First Minister has been the target of racist abuse all his life and always stood up against racism.

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The 45-second video, a shortened version of a ten-minute speech has been deemed by fact-checking services as “missing context”.

Yousaf said in the clip “most senior positions in Scotland are filled almost exclusively by people who are white”.

In the speech to the Scottish Parliament on racial injustice, Yousaf pointed out the heads of the legal profession, the courts, the medical profession, trade unions and directors general of the Scottish Government, at that time, were all white.

Musk commented on the video which resurfaced this week, where he said: “What a blatant racist!”

A response issued from the First Minister’s office has told Musk he should focus on tackling racism on his own site.

A spokesperson for the First Minister, said: "The First Minister has been on the receiving end of racist hate, abuse and death threats his entire life, and has stood firm against hatred and bigotry, of any kind, throughout. 

"Sadly, much of the racist abuse and threats of violence the First Minister faces are directed his way on X - formerly known as Twitter. 

"Mr Musk should use his position to tackle racism and hatred that goes unchecked on the social media platform he owns."