SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf was given a verbal battering at the Edinburgh Fringe today, after an audience member launched into a furious tirade.
Mr Yousaf had been giving a sit-down interview to LBC’s Iain Dale, his second of the festival, when a political activist stood up and shouted that the SNP boss is a “pestilence on the land”.
He also branded him “despicable”.
The fury appeared to have been sparked by Humza Yousaf telling another interviewer at the festival – political comedian Matt Forde – that “people who are written off by bigots should tell the haters ‘f*** you’”.
The audience member, Niall Fraser, was filmed yelling: “Excuse me, Humza. A few days ago you said we’ve to call out bigots and say f-you, did you not?”
“Your white, white, white speech was the most bigoted thing Scotland has ever, ever heard. So, on behalf of Scotland, f*** you.
“You’re a pestilence on the land. You’ve thrown women and children under the bus.
“You’re despicable. You should be behind bars.”
Later on in his interview, Mr Yousaf was interrupted yet again by two young women holding up a sign.
The second protestors were environmental campaigners, asking why the First Minister had not made a public statement on fossil fuels.
Iain Dale joked he’d never had so many interventions during his series of live shows.
One of Humza Yousaf’s most notorious speech was a Holyrood debate titled “Solidarity with Anti-racism”.
Mr Yousaf said: “Why are we so surprised when the most senior positions in Scotland are filled almost exclusively by people who are white? Take my portfolio, for example. The Lord President is white, the Lord Justice Clerk is white, every High Court judge is white, the Lord Advocate is white, the Solicitor General is white, the chief constable is white, every deputy chief constable is white, every assistant chief constable is white, the head of the Law Society is white, the head of the Faculty of Advocates is white and every prison governor is white.
“That is not the case only in justice. The chief medical officer is white, the chief nursing officer is white, the chief veterinary officer is white, the chief social work adviser is white and almost every trade union in the country is headed by white people.
“In the Scottish Government, every director general is white. Every chair of every public body is white. That is not good enough.”
An eye witness told the Scottish Sun Humza Yousaf appeared “very calm” following the incident.
Mr Fraser left the venue by himself after his intervention.
His Twitter profile says he is a “proud member of the Scottish Family Party”, a social conservative party led by a former Ukip member.
