Swinney says Elon Musk is a 'malign influence' and is reviewing Scottish Government use of X

First Minister John Swinney on Tuesday called Elon Musk a “malign influence” on British politics and said he is reviewing the Scottish Government’s and his own use of Musk’s social media platform, X, after the billionaire addressed a London rally in which police and members of the public were attacked.

Swinney made the comments in an interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland following Musk’s video-link address to the Unite the Kingdom rally, during which Musk said "violence is coming to you" and told protesters "you either fight back or you die." The demonstration on the weekend led to 25 arrests and 26 police officers injured, four of them seriously, according to police accounts reported by Swinney.

"I think he is a malign influence," Swinney said, adding that political debate was being "stirred up by people like Elon Musk and some of the characters that were attacking police officers and attacking members of the public on the streets of London during the weekend." He said the behaviour he witnessed at the march amounted to "far-right thuggery" and that he would not tolerate the prejudice he associated with Musk and others.

Asked whether he would reconsider official use of the platform formerly known as Twitter, which Musk bought in 2022 and rebranded as X, Swinney said he was "certainly giving thought to that." He said the government must "take a stand on the behaviours of some of these individuals" while also considering how to avoid ceding the communications field to those platforms.

"I’ve been about long enough to have seen examples in the past where far-right thuggery makes its presence felt on the streets of the United Kingdom," he said. "I saw it when I was a teenager, I didn’t like it, I loathed it when I saw it as a teenager and I loathe it now as First Minister of Scotland."

Swinney reiterated his commitment to ensuring Scotland remained welcoming to people seeking refuge and improving the lives and livelihoods of those in the country, saying: "I will have nothing to do with the type of prejudice that is being put around by Elon Musk, Nigel Farage and others."

He also warned that political turbulence at Westminster could harm Scottish interests, pointing to the departure of Labour peer Lord Mandelson from government and suggesting the resulting "chaos" could damage negotiations over US tariffs on Scotch whisky. "The UK Government is completely distracted," Swinney said. "It’s been distracted for weeks and it’s been distracted by its own internal failings, mistakes and errors."

Swinney said the Labour government elected in Britain last year had been chosen by Scottish voters to deliver better outcomes for Scotland and that current disruptions risked undermining those aims. He framed consideration of the Scottish Government’s online communications as part of broader efforts to present alternative messages and to ensure public safety and social cohesion.

Musk’s intervention to the Unite the Kingdom rally drew criticism from multiple quarters for language that opponents said could inflame tensions. Organisers and police reported clashes at the event, and authorities opened inquiries into the violence and the circumstances surrounding the injuries and arrests. Swinney’s comments reflect a growing debate among politicians in the United Kingdom about the role of major social media platforms and high-profile individuals in shaping political discourse and protest activity.