He didn’t really acknowledge anything or respond to why he took funding from other charities and countries needing that aid or how he expects to fill that gap.
So the charities that have had their earmarked funding withdrawn and asking why and what they are now going to do are now apparently the ones calling him a ‘fifth columnist’ and ‘attacking him’.
A terrible response really. He didn’t even make the easy response of trying to justify why he thinks Gaza needs it more, or apologise to the charities he’s taken money from, just makes it all about himself and him being the victim.
His entire ‘response’ is just pathetic, Alex Jones whataboutery that attacks the source, invokes conspiracy theories and doesn’t tell us anything.
Yet predictably enough people have already got the pom-poms out for him, particularly in that disaster of a thread yesterday in which “but UK gave money to Israel” and “so what other countries have donated too” – exactly what Yousaf was saying.
He’s adding fuel to his own fire and based on his prior behaviour people are suspicious for a good reason. He has no self-awareness whatsoever.
He needs to stop with this victim pish and be a strong leader. Every Party leader gets criticised for their decisions, some more deserved than others.
The Telegraph that keeps publishing lies aye?
The comments here proving Yousaf to be right. Sad to see that this sub is increasingly being infiltrated by far-right Islamophobic racists and falling for Torygraph propaganda.
Guy is a race baiter. Always uses that pish to get sympathy and blaming the far right. You don’t need to be on any side of the argument to know that sending our money over without our permission makes you a dick.
Full statement:
>I don’t usually respond to smears against me or my family, but this story is so outrageous it requires a response.
>Most of my political life, I’ve battled insinuations from sections of the media desperate to link me to terrorism despite campaigning my whole life against it.
>The latest smear from the Telegraph is just a continuation of these Islamaphobic attacks.
>To be clear, the Scottish Government gave money to Gaza, like virtually every Government in the West, because of the unarguable humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded there.
>Whether funding was given to Unicef or UNRWA, both of course UN agencies, it was always for the people of Gaza.
>Funding to UNRWA was deemed the most flexible way of ensuring money got to where it was needed. Hence why so many governments, including the UK, gave millions to them.
>UNRWA, of course, had nothing to do with my in-laws being able to leave Gaza. They were able to leave Gaza due to the hard work of the crisis team at the FCDO, like every other British national. The FCDO can of course confirm this. To suggest otherwise is a flat-out lie & smear.
>I can not tell you the trauma my family suffered, particularly during the weeks my in-laws were trapped there.
>To peddle far-right conspiracies in a newspaper is outrageous & will only encourage a further pile-on of vile abuse my family & I have suffered throughout this period.
Due to my faith & race, there will always be those, particularly on the far-right, who will desperately try to “prove” my loyalties lie elsewhere. That I am a fifth columnist in the only country I call home, the country I love and the country I have the privilege of leading.
For the Telegraph to give oxygen to these smears is depressing.
>It will not stop me from raising my voice for the plight of the people of Gaza or for continuing to call for the immediate release of hostages. Aid must go to the people of Gaza suffering unimaginable horror.
EDIT – Comments are locked, but I wanted to point out that the Telegraph article is less about charity money being diverted (it mentions it once, and doesn’t even mention what the charities say about it), and more about aid being sent to UNRWA, Stephen Kerr accusing Yousaf of breaking the ministerial code over a conflict of interest, and also heavily implying that Yousaf’s in-laws release was due to the aid money. That is what Yousaf was responding to.
I’m not commenting on whether what the article says is right or wrong, but I’m just laying it out. So, while the charity money diversion is a legitimate criticism that was not addressed, it was not what the Telegraph article was primarily about.
This is a non response. He doesn’t in any way address the criticism 😂
Are we really that poor and desperate that we’re whinging over 250k? This is why the UK sees us as a nonentity. Let’s break the stereotype of being dour, penny pinchers
He needs to go.
I couldn’t have lower expectations of The Telegraph, but this has gone even lower
I know it’s not related but are they still really droning on about Meghan Markle I don’t feel one way or other about her or that family but does it not get boring talking about the same person constantly.
That’s not a denial
I think this response reads like someone who doesn’t listen to his own Comms advisers and gets carried away. I can’t imagine anyone would’ve reviewed this and thought it was a good idea.
On the actual substance, I can certainly understand a politician wanting to do something about a humanitarian crisis. But this suggests he not only did that, but overruled officials on how it should be directed. That seems to be a rather weird thing for a First Minister to do and certainly an step he’d be expected to justify taking.
There are a lot of very angry 3 month old accounts here, strange. Except not strange at all in fact.
Yeh yeh yeh.
This story makes no difference; in fact it’s good for him. Back in the real world away from the serried ranks of the social media propaganda brigades Gaza is basically the only issue clawing back some SNP support from Labour. I despise the SNP and yet I’ll literally be voting SNP at Westminster just to keep 1 Labour MP out.
Tory cunts.
I’m no fan of Yousaf but this story is increasingly annoying me. Ok he decided to send a small amount of money to Gaza instead of Malawi and that sucks for Malawi. And sure Yousaf cares a lot about Gaza and has close ties there, but so what? But Gaza is a war zone. Should he not do what he can so that he looks impartial to the Telegraph?
So he didn’t bribe Hamas to get his family out?
We all pretending he gives a single shit about Scotland now?
First Minster? Being incompetent with money? Nah, surely not, never happens, nope, not once has it happened before
I love how the headlines always say something like “in a row” or “Outrage” or “Backlash” despite nobody knowing anything about they matter until the read it in the paper.
You’ll get still idiots who try to argue in bad faith most of the attacks on Yousaf are not racially motivated
~~If you criticize Putin then you are obviously a bought and paid for MI6 foreign agent!~~
If you criticize the SNP and Humza then you are obviously a racist, islamophobic bigot!
Sorry I got mixed up between the two. I think it’s because they both support Scottish seperatism, getting rid of UK nuclear deterrent and both have connections to Russian state media.
25 comments
He didn’t really acknowledge anything or respond to why he took funding from other charities and countries needing that aid or how he expects to fill that gap.
So the charities that have had their earmarked funding withdrawn and asking why and what they are now going to do are now apparently the ones calling him a ‘fifth columnist’ and ‘attacking him’.
A terrible response really. He didn’t even make the easy response of trying to justify why he thinks Gaza needs it more, or apologise to the charities he’s taken money from, just makes it all about himself and him being the victim.
His entire ‘response’ is just pathetic, Alex Jones whataboutery that attacks the source, invokes conspiracy theories and doesn’t tell us anything.
Yet predictably enough people have already got the pom-poms out for him, particularly in that disaster of a thread yesterday in which “but UK gave money to Israel” and “so what other countries have donated too” – exactly what Yousaf was saying.
He’s adding fuel to his own fire and based on his prior behaviour people are suspicious for a good reason. He has no self-awareness whatsoever.
Guy is clueless. Not a fan.
1st Nov. Family stuck in Gaza.
2nd Nov. £250k given to UNWRA.
3rd Nov. Family leaves Gaza.
December. Meets with Erdogan at COP28.
December. Invites Erdogan to Scotland.
12 Feb. Holidays in Qatar
Today. Erdogan says [Turkey firmly backs Hamas leaders](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/erdogan-says-turkey-firmly-backs-hamas-leaders/article67932143.ece).
Not a great look for the First Minister.
He needs to stop with this victim pish and be a strong leader. Every Party leader gets criticised for their decisions, some more deserved than others.
The Telegraph that keeps publishing lies aye?
The comments here proving Yousaf to be right. Sad to see that this sub is increasingly being infiltrated by far-right Islamophobic racists and falling for Torygraph propaganda.
Guy is a race baiter. Always uses that pish to get sympathy and blaming the far right. You don’t need to be on any side of the argument to know that sending our money over without our permission makes you a dick.
Full statement:
>I don’t usually respond to smears against me or my family, but this story is so outrageous it requires a response.
>Most of my political life, I’ve battled insinuations from sections of the media desperate to link me to terrorism despite campaigning my whole life against it.
>The latest smear from the Telegraph is just a continuation of these Islamaphobic attacks.
>To be clear, the Scottish Government gave money to Gaza, like virtually every Government in the West, because of the unarguable humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded there.
>Whether funding was given to Unicef or UNRWA, both of course UN agencies, it was always for the people of Gaza.
>Funding to UNRWA was deemed the most flexible way of ensuring money got to where it was needed. Hence why so many governments, including the UK, gave millions to them.
>UNRWA, of course, had nothing to do with my in-laws being able to leave Gaza. They were able to leave Gaza due to the hard work of the crisis team at the FCDO, like every other British national. The FCDO can of course confirm this. To suggest otherwise is a flat-out lie & smear.
>I can not tell you the trauma my family suffered, particularly during the weeks my in-laws were trapped there.
>To peddle far-right conspiracies in a newspaper is outrageous & will only encourage a further pile-on of vile abuse my family & I have suffered throughout this period.
Due to my faith & race, there will always be those, particularly on the far-right, who will desperately try to “prove” my loyalties lie elsewhere. That I am a fifth columnist in the only country I call home, the country I love and the country I have the privilege of leading.
For the Telegraph to give oxygen to these smears is depressing.
>It will not stop me from raising my voice for the plight of the people of Gaza or for continuing to call for the immediate release of hostages. Aid must go to the people of Gaza suffering unimaginable horror.
EDIT – Comments are locked, but I wanted to point out that the Telegraph article is less about charity money being diverted (it mentions it once, and doesn’t even mention what the charities say about it), and more about aid being sent to UNRWA, Stephen Kerr accusing Yousaf of breaking the ministerial code over a conflict of interest, and also heavily implying that Yousaf’s in-laws release was due to the aid money. That is what Yousaf was responding to.
I’m not commenting on whether what the article says is right or wrong, but I’m just laying it out. So, while the charity money diversion is a legitimate criticism that was not addressed, it was not what the Telegraph article was primarily about.
This is a non response. He doesn’t in any way address the criticism 😂
Are we really that poor and desperate that we’re whinging over 250k? This is why the UK sees us as a nonentity. Let’s break the stereotype of being dour, penny pinchers
He needs to go.
I couldn’t have lower expectations of The Telegraph, but this has gone even lower
I know it’s not related but are they still really droning on about Meghan Markle I don’t feel one way or other about her or that family but does it not get boring talking about the same person constantly.
That’s not a denial
I think this response reads like someone who doesn’t listen to his own Comms advisers and gets carried away. I can’t imagine anyone would’ve reviewed this and thought it was a good idea.
On the actual substance, I can certainly understand a politician wanting to do something about a humanitarian crisis. But this suggests he not only did that, but overruled officials on how it should be directed. That seems to be a rather weird thing for a First Minister to do and certainly an step he’d be expected to justify taking.
There are a lot of very angry 3 month old accounts here, strange. Except not strange at all in fact.
Yeh yeh yeh.
This story makes no difference; in fact it’s good for him. Back in the real world away from the serried ranks of the social media propaganda brigades Gaza is basically the only issue clawing back some SNP support from Labour. I despise the SNP and yet I’ll literally be voting SNP at Westminster just to keep 1 Labour MP out.
Tory cunts.
I’m no fan of Yousaf but this story is increasingly annoying me. Ok he decided to send a small amount of money to Gaza instead of Malawi and that sucks for Malawi. And sure Yousaf cares a lot about Gaza and has close ties there, but so what? But Gaza is a war zone. Should he not do what he can so that he looks impartial to the Telegraph?
So he didn’t bribe Hamas to get his family out?
We all pretending he gives a single shit about Scotland now?
First Minster? Being incompetent with money? Nah, surely not, never happens, nope, not once has it happened before
I love how the headlines always say something like “in a row” or “Outrage” or “Backlash” despite nobody knowing anything about they matter until the read it in the paper.
You’ll get still idiots who try to argue in bad faith most of the attacks on Yousaf are not racially motivated
~~If you criticize Putin then you are obviously a bought and paid for MI6 foreign agent!~~
If you criticize the SNP and Humza then you are obviously a racist, islamophobic bigot!
Sorry I got mixed up between the two. I think it’s because they both support Scottish seperatism, getting rid of UK nuclear deterrent and both have connections to Russian state media.