Humza Yousaf: 'I don't know if my children will be safe in the UK' amid rise in far-right violence

Humza Yousaf has said that he doesn’t know if his children will be safe in the UK amid the rise in far-right violence.

The former first minister made the comments following the violent riots seen in parts of England and Northern Ireland following the murders of three young girls in Southport.

Misinformation relating to the attacker was shared online leading to violent incidents in which a mosques and ethnic minorities have been targeted.

Speaking on the News Agents podcast on Tuesday, Yousaf said his concerns about Islamophobia predated the violent scenes of the last week.

He said: “We are now seeing the culmination of not years, actually decades, of anti-migrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric being normalised in our discourse, now playing out in the most horrendous violent way possible.”

Yousaf added that although “he was about as Scottish as they come” recent events have left him questioning whether it is safe for his family to remain in the UK.

“I’m not the only one, I’ve had hundreds of messages from the Muslim community saying the exact same thing,” he said.

Police in England have made 378 arrests since disorder broke out last week.

Police Scotland said it was prepared if violence and disorder like that seen in several English cities happens in Scotland, but added there is currently no intelligence to suggest any similar tensions.

Speculation began earlier this week over the man arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 21-year-old woman in Stirling.

The speculation prompted the police to make the unusual decision to release a description of the man arrested.