Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf targeted with ‘Fk Islam Humza p

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said it is “increasingly difficult” to protect his two children from racism after he was targeted with graffiti near his home in Dundee.

The words “Fk Islam Humza p***” appeared on the side of a house in the city’s Hamilton Street yesterday, and a similar message was sprayed on a nearby fence.

The messages appeared on the same day the Scottish Government’s controversial hate crime law came into force.

Mr Yousaf, who became Scotland’s first Muslim and ethnic minority First Minister a year ago, responded to the graffiti on X: “I do my best to shield my children from the racism and Islamophobia I face on a regular basis.

“That becomes increasingly difficult when racist graffiti targeting me appears near our family home. A reminder of why we must, collectively, take a zero-tolerance approach to hatred.”

Dundee City Council has since removed the graffiti and Police Scotland are investigating.

Mr Yousaf, whose in-laws were trapped in Gaza for a month before escaping to Egypt, said in January that Muslim and Palestinian lives were viewed as “cheap” and “different”.

Last month, he also condemned “Islamophobic attacks” on his family as he denied claims a government donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) was a conflict of interest.

At the time, he said: “Due to my faith and race, there will always be those, particularly on the far-right, who will desperately try to prove my loyalties lie elsewhere.”

Following the graffiti, an SNP spokesperson said: “This graffiti was sickening and completely unacceptable, it is a reminder why we need to take a zero tolerance approach to hatred.

“We are grateful to the authorities for acting to remove it so quickly because this type of vile, racist language can have a serious impact on the individuals, families, and wider community who are forced to see it.

“Racism has absolutely no place in our society and everyone must play their part to challenge it.”