“Elements of the far right are attempting to hijack this incident to spread a racist, anti-immigration agenda. This is both dangerous and divisive.”
17:08, 27 Aug 2025Updated 18:17, 27 Aug 2025
(Image: Getty Images)
Elon Musk has been slammed by a Scots councillor after spreading misinformation regarding an incident in Dundee.
On Saturday August 23, a 12-year-old girl was charged after allegedly being caught with what police described as a “bladed weapon” in Lochee.
It sparked a number of social media posts claiming the girl and her friends had earlier been followed, recorded and “chatted up” by two people, with several making reference to the supposed ethnicity of the accused pair.
Then on Tuesday, Elon Musk – who has a following of nearly 225 million on X, formerly known as Twitter – reposted an allegation about the girl being recorded by “a migrant”.
The post also repeated sections of local news coverage of the incident which had no mention of race or immigration status.
SNP councillor Nadia El-Nakla(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Nadia El-Nakla, councillor for Dundee’s West End and wife of ex-First Minister Humza Yousaf, slammed the irresponsible nature of spreading misinformation.
She told the Courier: “This is deeply concerning for many reasons. Everyone has the right to feel safe in our streets. Carrying a knife is a crime, and we must uphold a policy of zero tolerance towards knife crime.
“It is also clear that elements of the far right are attempting to hijack this incident to spread a racist, anti-immigration agenda.
“This is both dangerous and divisive, and it threatens the cohesion of our communities. Here in Dundee, we will not allow this to take root. The facts of the incident have been provided by our police service.
“These should be trusted — not the disinformation being pushed by those who wish to vilify asylum seekers and immigrants.”
Meanwhile, right-wing activist Tommy Robinson also posted about it to his 1.4m followers on X. The 42-year-old repeated the allegation of youngsters being “filmed by a migrant” and said it was “very concerning”.
Stand Up to Racism Tayside said: “Misinformation serves a particular narrative and distracts from the real issues in our society: austerity and increasing poverty, widespread mental health crises and isolation, all rooted in the failures and mismanagement of our governments.
“The spread of this misinformation endangers by inviting hatred and violence towards members of our communities who are already so marginalised.”
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Chief Superintendent Nicola Russell added: “We are aware of misinformation being shared on social media in relation to an incident where a Bulgarian couple were approached by youths in St Ann Lane, Dundee, on Saturday, 23 August, 2025.
“A 12-year-old girl has been charged with being in possession of offensive weapons. She will be referred to the relevant authorities and our enquiries are ongoing.
“We would like to thank the local community for their help with our investigation and would urge the public not to share misinformation about this incident or speculate on the circumstances.”