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John Swinney has condemned Reform UK for launching what he called a “racist attack” on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. The SNP and Labour have reached out to Meta, Facebook’s parent company, regarding an advert by Reform that is live on the platform in the lead-up to a by-election in South Lanarkshire. The advertisement contains text suggesting that Sarwar will prioritize the Pakistani community, a claim that has been vehemently denied by Reform.
While on the campaign trail for the upcoming by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse, Swinney expressed his strong disapproval of the advert, labelling it as “blatantly racist.” He urged Meta to take down the video, emphasizing the need to eradicate racism from political discourse. The Scottish Labour party had already criticized the advert as “blatantly racist” and lodged a complaint with Meta two weeks prior, with the SNP filing a separate complaint on Monday.
SNP’s chief executive, Carol Beattie, penned a letter to Meta, asserting that the Reform UK advertisement was engaging in race-baiting and scapegoating, infringing on the line of racial hatred incitement. The Scottish Greens condemned the advert as racist, while the Liberal Democrats accused Nigel Farage’s party of engaging in “scummy tactics.” There is an ongoing call for Meta to take action and provide clarification on monitoring political advertising to prevent the incitement of racial animosity.
Reform councillor Thomas Kerr accused Swinney and Sarwar of attempting to divert attention from the issues at hand and labeled their actions as “pathetic and panicky.” The councillor defended the advert, stating that it used Sarwar’s own words, and suggested that if Sarwar was unhappy with the portrayal, he should refrain from using such language. The upcoming by-election on 5 June in Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse was prompted by the passing of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, with various candidates vying for the position, including representatives from the SNP, Labour, Conservative, Greens, Liberal Democrats, Reform, Scottish Socialist Party, Scottish Family Party, UK Independence Party, and an Independent candidate
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