First Minister Humza Yousaf has promised that Scotland would be a “sanctuary” for Palestinians fleeing the “terrible attacks” in the Gaza Strip.
Humza Yousaf, the leader of the locally devolved government in Scotland, said on Tuesday that his government would open the doors to Palestinians seeking asylum and demanded that the international community open their countries up to millions of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza that was sparked by the murderous terror attacks against Israel by the radical Islamist terror group Hamas.
In a video published on social media on Tuesday evening, Yousaf said: “There are currently one million displaced people in Gaza. Therefore, I am calling on the international community to commit to a worldwide refugee programme for the people of Gaza.”
Yousaf went on to demand that the UK government in Westminster “immediately begin work on the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those in Gaza who want to, and are able to, leave,” adding: “We are absolutely clear that the life of a Palestinian is equal to the life of an Israeli.”
The leftist politician said that his government would be willing to be the first country in the United Kingdom to “offer safety and sanctuary to those caught up in these terrible attacks.”
“Let me be clear,” Yousaf said. “Scotland is ready to play her part and our hospitals will treat the injured men, women and children of Gaza where we can.”
Yousaf continued to say that while it is correct to condemn the “actions” of Hamas, he said that “any form of collective punishment, as we are seeing in Gaza, can never be justified.”
In the past, people in Scotland and across the UK have opened our hearts and our homes.
Scotland is ready to play her part.
To be the first country in the UK to offer safety and sanctuary to the people of Gaza.
To treat the injured men, women and children, where we can. pic.twitter.com/VMvszfZD4U
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) October 17, 2023
Yousaf, the son of Pakistani immigrants, became the first Muslim to ascend to the top political position in Scotland earlier this year after the resignation of former Scottish National Party (SNP) First Minister Nicola Sturgeon resigned amid a flurry of controversies.
Yousaf has claimed that his Palestinian-heritage wife’s family, including her mother and father, are currently stuck in the Gaza Strip.
The pledge from the leftist First Minister to open up Scotland to vast swaths of Palestinians drew considerable backlash on social media.
“Does the Scottish First Minister include Hamas activists in this?” questioned Brexit leader Nigel Farage.
The X account for the conservative activist group Turning Point UK said: “Britain should not be housing any ‘refugees’ from Gaza. These people don’t hold our values. There’s a reason no other Middle Eastern country wants them either.”
Yousaf has previously come under criticism for openly complaining about the number of white people in positions of power in the majority-white country.
He and his wife also controversially sued a nursery school for allegedly discriminating against their child over their Islamic faith, claiming that children with “white-sounding names” were accepted into the school while theirs was not. The school strenuously denied the allegations and the couple eventually dropped their suit.
Scottish Justice Secretary Complains of 'Racist' Backlash After Saying Whites Have Too Many Top Jobs https://t.co/D4YNIwIQSL
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 5, 2020
