UK TREND : The public reacts to Hamza Yousaf becoming First Minister

28 March 2023

Hamza Yousaf will take over as first minister on Wednesday after being narrowly elected as the new leader of the Scottish National Party. He declared that he was “determined to deliver” independence for Scotland in his victory speech. The fact that Yousaf won the competition by such a slim margin (52% to 48%), however, represents a significant obstacle to this goal.

Hamza Yousaf became Scotland’s First Minister

Hamza Yousaf : The new leader of the Scottish National Party — *Hamza Yousaf: The new leader of the Scottish National Party*

Since the announcement that Yousaf will officially become the new First Minister of Scotland, the hashtags #Hamza Yousaf and #SNP have been trending on Twitter. The majority of people appear to be pleased, especially given that he is of South Asian descent, and have taken to social media platforms to share the news and express their opinions. While some people have voiced their disapproval because they don’t believe he is the right candidate for the job.

Great news! Congratulations ! Hamza Y is of Pakistani heritage. Humza Yousaf announced as new Scottish National Party leader replacing Nicola Sturgeon https://t.co/CU6oA1FXaG

— Maleeha Lodhi (@LodhiMaleeha) March 27, 2023

Individuals of Asian descent and some Muslims were happy about the news, to see one of their “ own” becoming the First Minster of Scotland.

hamza yousaf wins the snp leadership

Now an Asian is leading Scotland / London / uk

Churchill is turning in his grave

— Captain Morocco🇲🇦 (@AtlasIion) March 27, 2023

Twitter user Shazia tweeted “ this is history in the making”.

Congratulations #HamzaYousaf. History in the making there. #SNP 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

— Shazia Hemmens (@ShaziaHussain) March 27, 2023

People were pleased to see how the country is evolving, twitter user Osama shared “ As a child growing up in Scotland, I did, unfortunately, experience racism on several occasions. 40 years later, to see an Asian person as leader of the SNP really shows how far things have changed. I never thought I’d see the day.”

As a child growing up in Scotland, I did, unfortunately, experience racism on several occasions. 40 years later, to see an Asian person as leader of the SNP really shows how far things have changed. I never thought I’d see the day. #SNP #HamzaYousaf #racism #historic #scotland

— Osama Madlom (@OMadlom) March 27, 2023

Whilst some Muslims were celebrating the news of Yousaf being the first Muslim leader in Scotland, others saw the news as “ unfortunate” due to his views on his LGBTQ which go against Islamic teachings. Twitter user Aisha shared “ Hamza Yousaf’s success as the leader of SNP is unfortunate news as it may encourage young Muslim politicians in the UK to sacrifice their faith for the sake of achieving high-ranking positions.”

https://twitter.com/AyishaMuhamad/status/1640354561612210177?s=20

Some other people were also disappointed in the results . One twitter user had quite an extreme view, stating that “ Hamza Yousaf should not be anywhere near the government of Scotland because he’s not Scottish and he’s Muslim”.

https://twitter.com/DeadScrump/status/1640377458418409472?s=20

Another user shared that “ the disaster continues with Hamza Yousaf being elected”.