DOUGLAS Ross has criticised "alarming, disgraceful" comments by an SNP candidate about Israel and Zionism. 

The Scottish Conservative leader insisted the SNP should take action over the remarks by Glasgow candidate Suzanne McLaughlin.

She apologised after previously writing on social media: "Lest anyone be in any doubt. Zionism is akin to fascism. #genocide." 

In another post, she said that "Israel is a terrorist state". 

A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism told the Scottish Daily Mail: "This is the third report of deeply concerning comments from an SNP candidate in as many weeks.

"The SNP has adopted the international definition of anti-Semitism, which clearly states that it is anti-Semitic to deny the Jewish people to their right to self-determination or compare Israelis to Nazis.

"Nobody should be making such comments, let alone a candidate in an election. Suzanne McLaughin must now face party discipline."

Colm Merrick, SNP candidate for Eastwood, was previously at the centre of a row for suggesting Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels was the "potential source of its inspiration" for Labour's 2015 general election campaign.

Meanwhile, Uddingston and Bellshill candidate Stephanie Callaghan was criticised after it emerged she compared Theresa May rejecting an independence referendum with the actions of Adolf Hitler.

Asked if he was surprised by the apparent lack of action by the SNP, Mr Ross said: "I'm disappointed because those remarks are unacceptable, and I'm reminded of the first leaders' debate in this election, where the final question we were asked was, would we take action against unacceptable comments during this campaign? And every single leader said they would.

"I think people will be looking for the SNP to take action in this case because it is unacceptable and it is alarming, disgraceful language to use, that has clearly and understandably upset so many."

Asked if he would suspend a candidate who had made these remarks, he said: "Yes, and all leaders said they would take robust action, and robust action is dealing with this situation in the strongest possible terms.

"I think people will seriously question why the SNP have not done that in this case."

An SNP spokesman said: "Suzanne McLaughlin apologises for her choice of words in these six-year-old tweets, which she has now deleted.

"She remains a strong advocate for Palestinian rights, and at no point in her comments did she suggest that Israel has no right to self-determination.

"The SNP supports a two-state solution, as endorsed in the recently published Jewish Manifesto for Scotland.

"We would agree that everyone should be careful with their language, and not conflate the actions of the Israeli government with the views of the Israeli people, or of the Jewish community more generally."