NICOLA Sturgeon has condemned the “disgraceful” abuse suffered by a BBC reporter at the hands of independence supporters last night.

BBC Scotland Editor James Cook was called a “traitor” and “scum” outside the Scottish hustings for the Tory leadership contest.

The Scottish Conservatives blamed "a mob of extremist Nationalists" and linked it directly to the SNP being in government. 

"Sadly, this is the consequence of 15 years where the SNP have ramped up division and turned Scot against Scot," said Tory MSP Craig Hoy.

Around 300 protesters gathered opposite Perth Concert Hall, many with Yes banners, and some shouting “Tory scum” and throwing eggs at party members as they arrived.

One large banner was hung on the fencing by the ultranationalist Siol Nan Gaidheal, or Seed of the Gaels group, which is outlawed within the SNP.

Video shot from the protesters’ side and posted on social media showed Mr Cook being loudly quizzed by an unseen man and woman in the crowd about his reporting on independence.

The man told Mr Cook dismissively: “We’ve seen the calibre of your reporting.”

After Mr Cook said the man called him scum, he shouted: “We’re paying you. You’re a traitor.  Report the truth.”

The woman then asked Mr Cook about the Claim of Right of 1689 and asked him how long he had been in Scotland.

He said he had been in Scotland his whole life, and added the question was rude, and he would not have asked it of her.

“Will you report on the Claim of Right and other Scottish independence parties and other grassroots groups going out for independence?” the woman asked.

After Mr Cook said he would be delighted to do so, the man shouted: “You’re a liar!”

Mr Cook then said he was unable to have a civilised conversation about it because the man called him “traitor and scum”.

The BBC has long been criticised by some Yes supporters over perceived  pro-Union bias, and the 2014 referendum campaign saw protests outside the BBC's offices at Pacific Quay in Glasgow.

The video was posted - then deleted - by a Twitter account called @faraheit17 belonging to a woman called Farah Hamid, a retired teacher and director of Glasgow Citizens Advice, who says she is as a member of Alex Salmond's Alba party.

Identifying herself as the woman heard on the clip (not the man saying traitor and scum), she wrote: "As you can see I was very polite and was asking qs which #JamesCook could answer, alas it was not to be!"

Alba said the man was an unknown "eejit" who shouted over Ms Hamid.

The party also called for "a bit of proportion", noting there were no arrests, and said the Tories were "lucky they weren’t chased out of Perth" given their conduct in power and treatment of Scotland. 

In response to the incident in Perth, The First Minister defended Mr Cook and his reporting.

She tweeted: “Hurling abuse at journalists is never acceptable. Their job is vital to our democracy & it is to report & scrutinise, not support any viewpoint. 

“@BBCJamesCook  is a journalist of the highest quality and a total pro - the behaviour he was subjected to last night was disgraceful.”

Speaking to broadcasters later in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon said she would “condemn any abusive behaviour”.

She said: “I’m not responsible for it, I wasn’t in Perth last night. 

"That wasn’t being done in my name – as far as I’m aware it wasn’t SNP members doing that.

“If SNP members behave in that way, appropriate action will be taken.”

She added: “I want to live in a democracy where we have these debates and settle them democratically, rather than be denied the opportunity to settle them democratically.”

She went on to say she hoped that leaders in other parties would be “equally quick to call out abuse when it is directed at people like me or my colleagues in the SNP or the independence movement”.

“All politicians who care about democracy should call out this behaviour, whether it’s on their side or on the other side,” she said.

“It’s very easy to call out behaviour like this when it’s your opponents that you’re calling out – it’s harder to do when it’s people professing to be on your own side.”

When asked if SNP members should be suspended if they were found to be at the protest, the First Minister said she would not be drawn on hypotheticals.

 

 

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford added on Twitter: "This is shocking and I am ashamed to see @BBCJamesCook treated this way. It is not all right. James is a first class, decent and rightly well regarded journalist. He acted with great dignity and patience here. This is not the Scotland I want."

SNP press officer Erik Geddes also tweeted: “Im so angry at the people verbally abusing James Cook in Perth this evening. No journalist deserves this type of nasty crap when at their work. James is a brilliant journalist and super decent guy. Idiots."

SNP MSP Karen Adam said the incident strengthened the case for the SNP plan for a code of counduct for the next independence campaign "to ensure we don't tarnish the movement".

She tweeted: "James kept his professionalism throughout. How different would the interaction be if folks had used his example to discuss with him their views?"

SNP MP David Linden added: "These morons don’t speak for me or my party. We condemn their behaviour utterly and without equivocation. If anyone of them is found to be an @theSNP  member, then they should be chucked out immediately. It’s as simple as that."

Councillor Thomas Kerr, leader of the Tory opposition on SNP-run Glasgpw City Council, asked Ms Sturgeon why she didn’t also condemn the “abuse, spitting and throwing eggs at pensioners, teenagers and party activists” also seen outside the hustings.

“What happened to James Cook was an outrage, but as was the entire mob behavior @ScotTories where subjected too. “This half-hearted condemnation isn't good enough.”

Other social media users suggested the SNP had turned a blind eye to bad behaviour by Yes supporters for years, and praised Mr Cook for keeping his cool and remaining polite through the incident.

Posting last night, Tory MP Andrew Bowie said: "Eggs being thrown, spitting at pensioners. The good old 'tory scum' banner out...Good to see @NicolaSturgeon's civic and joyous nationalism in action in Perth tonight."

In a statement issued this morning, BBC Scotland said: "Yesterday evening one of our journalists was subjected to verbal abuse from protesters while covering the Conservative Leadership hustings in Perth.

"James Cook is an exceptional correspondent and showed professionalism throughout the incident.

"It is never acceptable for journalists to suffer abuse of any nature while doing their job."

Alba General Secretary Chris McEleny said: "It seems that there was a perfectly civilised conversation being had which was ruined by an unknown man shouting over it. 

"However, there does need to be a bit of proportion in that this was a protest of hundreds of people with not a single arrest. 

"Instead of focusing their attention on the utterance of one eejit, our politicians should be tackling the real issue that Sunak and Truss represent a party that are standing by and allowing millions of Scots to have thousands of pounds of energy bills hammered against them whilst we live in a country that generates enough renewable electricity to power every home in Scotland and we are self-sufficient in oil and gas. 

"The Tory Party have cut universal credit for 500,000 Scots, they’ve overseen the death of hundreds of thousands of citizens whilst awarding billions of pounds of contracts to their pals and they’ve completely wrecked the economy thanks to their Brexit folly.

"They are lucky they weren’t chased out of Perth.”

Scottish Tory party chairman Craig Hoy said: “The abuse and intimidation directed at both journalists and party members at yesterday’s hustings in Perth was completely unacceptable.

“Of course, everyone is entitled to peacefully protest and make their voice heard against politicians they disagree with – that’s the essence of democracy – but, not for the first time, a mob of extremist Nationalists crossed a line.

“It’s shameful that journalists doing their job and ordinary party members, some of them elderly, had to run a gauntlet of hate just to get into the venue, including having eggs thrown at them and being spat at.

"Sadly, this is the consequence of 15 years where the SNP have ramped up division and turned Scot against Scot."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Last night we saw respected journalists hounded by a mob, booed for asking tough questions and eggs thrown at party members engaging in a political process. It comes just days after a Liberal Democrat councillor was assaulted by a nationalist constituent. 

“It’s utterly grim and this hatred can’t be tolerated.

“Nicola Sturgeon was right to speak out this morning but, much as the Labour party were pressed to drive out anti-semitism from their party, it is time for the SNP to have a long overdue reckoning with the cranks they share a roof with.

"That means proscribing those who campaign alongside groups like Siol nan Gaidheal, those who believe violent acts have a place in politics and those who spread disinformation and conspiracy theories. 

“There are also lessons for the Conservative party. Liz Truss has repeatedly blamed the media for Boris Johnson’s downfall and accused them of talking the country down. She should know better. 

“It is the duty of political leaders to appeal to people’s better natures and reduce the temperature in our political discourse.”