Alex Salmond was at the centre of a row over campaign bullying yesterday when he was criticised for refusing to take a hard line on the “mob” of Yes Scotland supporters who harass their opponents.
Jim Murphy, the Better Together campaigner and Labour MP, was forced to suspend a countrywide speaking tour last week because of an orchestrated campaign of abuse against him by independence supporters in towns across the country.
Mr Murphy vowed yesterday to resume his street-corner campaign tomorrow — as soon as the police were able to guarantee public safety at his events.
But the first minister went on television to deride Mr Murphy’s claims of harassment and intimidation as “ridiculous”. Mr Salmond even dismissed the former Scottish secretary as the equivalent of someone with an “End is Nigh” sandwich board around his neck.
The row over Mr Murphy’s treatment has come to dominate the latter stages of the referendum campaign — and marks the point when the abuse which is rife on the internet reached street level.
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The phenomenon of the cybernats has long been part of the independence narrative and the activities of the online trolls have increased as polling day nears. At the weekend, Sir Paul McCartney became the latest victim after he urged Scotland to remain in the Union.
On social media, he was abused and described as having “more money than sense”, “well past his best” and requiring spoon feeding. Despite his ownership of a farm near the Mull of Kintyre, he was branded “yet another English millionaire with zero connection”. He is the latest in a long list of celebrities who have been abused online for backing the Union. Other victims include JK Rowling, Susan Boyle and Sir Chris Hoy.
Mr Murphy, a former Scottish secretary, has said that Yes campaign supporters are using social media to co-ordinate “mobs” to go along to his “100 days, 100 towns” events and abuse him. On many occasions, they chanted abuse at him in an attempt to drown him out. Twice they threw eggs at him. Other times he was threatened with violence and at one event he had to rescue a pensioner who was being shouted at by the mob.
Mr Murphy said that the crowds turned over tables and climbed on crates and called him “a traitor, a quisling, a terrorist and much else that I can’t say” and challenged him to street fights.
“I’m not suggesting Mr Salmond has orchestrated this, of course I’m not, but Yes Scotland at a local level have made that happen,” he said. “I am not going to be silenced. I am going back on the stump. These bullies are not going to stop me.
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“Their behaviour doesn’t intimidate me but it isn’t supposed to intimidate me, it is supposed to intimidate the people who come to talk about independence. They want to create a mob atmosphere so that ordinary people are too intimidated to get involved and ask questions.
“What has happened is that groups have been transformed into mobs. Real people don’t take part any longer because it now has the atmosphere of a street rammy.”
The first minister said yesterday that he condemned all the “odd idiots” who caused problems on both sides of the campaign, but he added: “I don’t hold press conferences accusing Mr Murphy or the No campaign of orchestrating these events because I know it would be ridiculous to do so.”
Mr Salmond then said that he had a message for the people of Scotland: “If Mr Murphy comes bawling and shouting on a street corner anywhere near you, keep doing what you’re doing: it’s just like a guy with a ‘End is Nigh’ round his neck, he’ll go away soon.”
However, a Better Together insider criticised Mr Salmond. He said: “If Alex Salmond wanted this intimidation to stop, then one word from him would bring it to an end. Today he showed no interest in stopping it.”
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