LONDON: Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf was targeted with Islamophobic graffiti near his home on the same day the country’s new hate crime law was enacted, The Times reported.
Racist remarks referencing Yousaf’s Pakistani heritage appeared on walls and fences near his house in Dundee, where he lives with his family, on Tuesday.
The vandalism was quickly removed and Police Scotland said it had launched an investigation into the incident.
Yousaf, who made history last year as the Scottish government’s first ethnic minority and Muslim leader, shared on social media: “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.”
Members of the public in Broughty Ferry described the graffiti as “absolutely shocking.”
One resident told local media: “It’s awful what’s been plastered on the walls but I don’t think the timing is a coincidence. Whoever has done this is clearly targeting Humza and one of the walls mentioned something about the new law.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Nationalist Party stated: “This graffiti was sickening and completely unacceptable … 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.”
Scots Asians for Independence, an affiliated SNP group, said on X: “The abuse included a P-word slur aimed at the SNP leader. Is this still considered free speech? This is why we need hate crime laws that deter this kind of obscene behavior.”
A representative from Police Scotland confirmed that the investigation into the graffiti was ongoing, emphasizing the commitment to addressing and curbing hate crimes, The Times reported.
Scottish leader Yousaf targeted with Islamophobic graffiti near home
https://arab.news/w2cd4
Scottish leader Yousaf targeted with Islamophobic graffiti near home
- Incident comes same day as Scotland enacts new hate crime law
- SNP leader denounces graffiti, calls for a ‘zero-tolerance approach to hatred’
US government admits negligence in helicopter-plane collision that killed 67 in Washington
WASHINGTON: The government admitted Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army played a role in causing the collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk helicopter near the nation’s capital, killing 67 people.
The official response to the first lawsuit filed by one of the victims’ families said that the government is liable in the crash partly because the air traffic controller violated procedures that night.
But the filing suggested that others, including the pilots of the jet and helicopter, also played a role. The lawsuit also blamed American Airlines and its regional partner, PSA Airlines, for the crash, but those airlines have filed motions to dismiss.
At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the American Airlines regional jet while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia, just across the river from the nation’s capital, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, and three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
One of the attorneys for the family of Casey Crafton, Robert Clifford, said the families and their counsel will carefully study the new legal filings. Clifford said the government “rightfully acknowledges” it’s not the only one responsible for the crash and that it was one of several causes.
Clifford said his team would continue to investigate the crash to ensure all parties at fault are held responsible and awaits additional findings from a Jan. 26 NTSB hearing.
