ALEX Salmond has issued a stark warning to those who abuse female Alba party candidates after several are claimed to have received threats over the weekend.
Mr Salmond issued a statement today claiming the party has reported several threats to their female candidates to the police, including from SNP Holyrood hopefuls.
It comes after Margaret Lynch, who is standing for Alba in the Central Scotland list, suggested at the party's women's conference on Saturday that LGBT charity Stonewall was campaigning for the age of sexual consent to be lowered to 10 years old - a claim which the charity said is categorically untrue and dangerous.
The charity's chief executive this afternoon called for Ms Lynch to apologise and retract her remarks.
READ MORE: Why is Alex Salmond's Alba Party polling poorly?
Alba said reports of her comments from the conference did not "reflect the concerns expressed by Ms Lynch about two Scottish based organisations among others supporting an international group that have openly advocated decriminalisation around adolescent sexual behaviour."
It added: "Despite a statement from ALBA which fully accepted that Stonewall Scotland and LGBT Youth Scotland were 'reputable organisations who had done much good in society' the stream of online abuse continued and spilled over into direct threats including the proposed organisation of meetings to target people individually and the suggestion to Dundee Council that an ALBA candidate, a primary teacher of 36 years standing, was somehow not a fit person be teaching."
Now Mr Salmond has said that his party are "drawing a line" and will be taking a tougher stance against abuse towards female candidates.
He said: "Women participating are entitled to do so without being subjected to Twitter pile-ons or even worse threats of violence. Thus we are drawing the line.
"People who threaten our women candidates will be held to account. Men who put at risk women's jobs and livelihoods will be faced down.
"Name-calling of ALBA women by male SNP MPs and candidates will be challenged, and media who fan the flames of this disturbing behaviour will be reported to the appropriate regulator."
He added: "In an election campaign people often do and say foolish things but we shall not have our female candidates bullied or threatened.
"That stops right now. Apart from anything else Margaret Lynch was defending the rights of women in Scottish society while these keyboard warriors were in nappies.
"Women are entitled to raise concerns without being targeted in this fashion.
"If people wish to disagree then by all means go ahead. But our candidates are entitled to speak their minds at safe space events without being traduced or intimidated. ALBA will protect their right to do so.
"ILGA World has issued a statement providing clarification which I welcome."
On the complaints to the police Mr Salmond said: "Now that this particular matter has been reported to the police ALBA will make no further comment on this specific controversy.
"We have also referred the hacking of data from the Women’s Conference given the degree of the individual threats now being made.
"The ALBA Women and Equalities Policy Statement will continue to be a major feature of our election campaign. All ALBA candidates will conduct that debate in a considered and responsible manner.”
Police Scotland said: "We have received a complaint, which is being assessed."
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