HUMZA Yousaf has said that he was targeted by anti-vaccination campaigners at a Glasgow election count “because of my colour of skin”.

The Liberal Party’s Derek Jackson, who is not connected to the LibDems, arrived at the vote count at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow flanked by two of his colleagues.

All three were wearing black suits with yellow stars on their lapels. The words “Unvax” appeared on these stars. The Liberal Party representatives said these were “sheriff’s badges”.

They also had love hearts painted on the palms of their hands and rainbow armbands with Love written on them.

The men were also seen throwing what seemed to be Nazi salutes. However, they denied making deliberately racist gestures, with Jackson saying: "I'm certainly not antisemitic. I want to love everyone all the time."

He went on: “I hope none of you are stupid enough to think we are promoting facism when we are plainly and very obviously here to satire and parody the fascist SNP hate bill.”

Jackson said the SNP had made it so that you “can’t hate anything”.

Yousaf said Jackson and his supporters made a "beeline" for him when they entered the count hall at the Emirates Arena.

Yousaf said: “What I’m always struck by is voices of good always outweigh the voices of hatred.

“If anyone witnessed that exchange there – when they were directing questions at me about Pakistan, obviously because of my colour of skin, I’m not from Pakistan, my home is in Scotland.

“I was delighted to be joined my colleagues right across the political parties, from Labour and other parties, standing in unity with me.

“So I’m pleased their voices were drowned out.

“You had six muppets here and then you very quickly had 25 people on the other side telling them where to go. That to me is the best of Scotland really.”

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Yousaf said the Liberal Party made a “beeline” for him and asked him about “child rape victims in Pakistan” as well as the Scottish Government’s Hate Crime Bill.

He later tweeted: “Twice these cretins have approached me, targeting ethnic minority candidates demanding we apologise for things going on in Pakistan.

“Always said voices of good outweigh the bad.

“When these numbskulls started, people of all political parties joined with me to tell them to jog on.”

Morning Star Scotland editor Niall Christie reported on Twitter that Jackson “is on his last warning and will shown the door if he repeats his fascist and racist behaviour. Glasgow City Council dealing with it very seriously.”

Jackson was removed from the count venue by police, with Christie saying he understood that “a number of complaints were made about his treatment of BAME candidates, with concerns also raised about lack of masks and anti-semitism”.