John Swinney demands answers from X, TikTok and Meta over 'racist and hateful speech' in written letter

John Swinney has written to social media giants, including X, asking them to address racist and hateful material on their platforms, as Sir Keir Starmer warned police to remain on “high alert” this weekend.

The First Minister called for “immediate and decisive” action in the wake of recent riots in England and Northern Ireland. It comes after Humza Yousaf, the former first minister, called X owner Elon Musk “one of the most dangerous men on the planet” and accused him of using his vast wealth “for some of the most wicked evil I’ve seen”.

Mr Swinney’s letter comes as about 200 protesters attended an anti-racism demonstration in Paisley on Friday night. A similar demonstration had also been planned for Bathgate.

Mr Musk has posted a number of images and memes stoking division around the anti-immigration protests and disorder in Britain, as well as recently reposting an image of a fake news headline about the UK’s response to riots.

In a letter to X, TikTok and Meta, the owner of Facebook, Mr Swinney said: “Everyone has a role in stopping the spread of misinformation. You and your platform have a specific responsibility to do so.

“I would therefore be grateful if you could outline the action you are taking to combat the spread of misinformation on your platform and what steps being taken to address racist/hateful speech across your platform. Given the seriousness of the situation, action needs to be immediate and decisive.

“Police Scotland has specifically raised with me concerns about the time it takes for problematic posts to be removed when these are identified by law enforcement agencies. This increases the risk of spread of malicious content.

“I would wish to understand the steps you are taking to address this, particularly for content that police identify as illegal or harmful.”

Mr Yousaf accused Mr Musk of amplifying white supremacists and “far-right neo Nazi conspiracy theories”. Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe, the former first minister said: “He is not accountable to anybody. He has vast wealth at his fingertips and he uses it for some of the most wicked evil I’ve seen.”

Mr Musk recently shared an image posted by Britain First co-leader Ashlea Simon, which purported to show a headline from the Daily Telegraph website, claiming the UK government was considering creating temporary detainment camps on the Falkland Islands for those arrested during the riots. The Telegraph quickly debunked the image.

Mr Musk and Ms Simon have since both deleted their posts, but not before Mr Musk’s post was seen by hundreds of thousands of his followers – of which he has 193 million – and other users.

Mr Yousaf said: “Elon Musk, again, is not an idiot. He’s a smart individual who can easily use a search engine to see whether that headline is true. He didn’t. He chose to amplify that to his 190 million followers. He’s, as I say, I think one of the most dangerous men on the planet particularly because he’s so unaccountable.”

Mr Swinney separately held further talks on Friday with police as authorities remained “vigilant” for potential disorder in Scotland following riots elsewhere in the UK.

The First Minister said there was “no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind” and that he had been in contact with Police Scotland throughout the week amid fears the disorder witnessed in England and Northern Ireland could take place in Scotland.

He held further talks with the force on Friday to receive an update on preparedness should any disorder emerge in Scotland over the weekend.

Mr Swinney said: “The last few days have been a challenging and worrying time for many with the scenes of violence unfolding in other parts of the United Kingdom. I would like to thank Police Scotland for their continued work to protect our communities.

“Their ongoing engagement across Scotland and enhanced patrols are vital to support community cohesion and ensure public safety.

“We remain vigilant to the potential for disorder in Scotland and I have been reassured by Police Scotland that it has the capability and resources in place to respond should we face similar challenges, and that plans and preparations are in place to ensure everybody is kept safe.”

He added: “While officers and staff are doing their part to keep us all safe – there is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and each of us has a responsibility to confront racism and religious prejudice, including Islamophobia, wherever and whenever it appears, and do all we can to strengthen community cohesion.”

Police said they were monitoring the situation in Scotland closely.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie, of Police Scotland, said: “Officers right across Scotland continue to provide reassurance to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and direct engagement.

“You may see more officers in our towns and cities and we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.”

About 120 Police Scotland officers will soon travel to Northern Ireland amid disorder there to help bolster the ranks of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

During a visit to the Metropolitan Police’s special operations room in Lambeth on Friday, the Prime Minister said: “My message to the police and all of those that are charged with responding to disorder is maintain that high alert.

“I’m absolutely convinced that having the police officers in place these last few days, and the swift justice that has been dispensed in our courts have had a real impact. But we have to stay on high alert going into this weekend because we absolutely have to make sure that our communities are safe and secure and feel safe and secure.”

At his third emergency Cobra meeting since violence broke out, the Prime Minister is understood to have said policing in the right places and swift justice over the past week, including sentencing, have acted as a deterrent to disorder.

But Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, warned those “intent on violence and destruction have not gone away”.