EDINBURGH, May 7 (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst – A Member of Parliament and prominent anti-independence campaigner has repeated his call that once the “conflict” of the independence campaign is over “all that will be required is mopping up and bayonetting of the wounded.”
Ian Davidson MP, who is Chairman of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, told RIA Novosti he was not advocating the literally bayonetting of pro-independence supporters following a No-vote, but added his comments were “in the context of the conflict being over and there would be the cleaning up to be done.”
The pro-independence Yes-Scotland campaign accused Davidson of “belittling” Scotland’s referendum in using such inflammatory language.
Davidson also accused the official pro-independence campaign of “a deliberate campaign of intimidation and bullying” and accused them of using social media “to intimidate businessmen and any other prominent figures who want to come out, or are possibly considering coming out and supporting Scotland staying the Union,” Davidson told RIA Novosti.
The Labour MP described some of the “acrimonious exchanges” taking place on social media as “utterly vile” and claimed that most of it was originating from the Yes-campaign.
Asked if he believed whether the campaign was officially authorised by the official Yes-campaign, Davidson told RIA Novosti, “It’s organised and sanctioned.”
A spokesman for Yes Scotland told RIA Novosti, “People on both sides of the debate should always express their opinions in a reasonable and courteous manner and at the start of the campaign we issued robust social media guidelines.”
The spokesman dismissed Davidson’s claims that most of the online abuse was coming from pro-independence supporters and pointed to a recent poll that showed 21 percent of Yes-voters had been subjected to abuse, compared to just 8 percent of anti-independence voters.
“It’s incumbent on both sides of the referendum to ensure that the debate does Scotland proud and remains respectful of others' opinions,” the spokesman told RIA Novosti. “On the whole, we think it is – but for a Member of Parliament to call for a “bayonetting the wounded”, whatever the context, belittles Scotland’s referendum.”
Last month a pro-independence Member of the Scottish Parliament, David Torrance, was physically attacked in a bar in Fife by an anti-independence supporter. Pro-independence Scottish National Party leaders Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have also been subjected to death threats by anti-independence supporters.
Scots will go to the polls on 18th September and will be asked just one question, “Do you agree that Scotland should become an independent country?”
