Scottish minister condemns ‘offensive’ Swastika post made by father
Tom Arthur Snr – the father of the SNP MSP – has resigned his party membership after sharing a post which said “Nazism = Zionism”.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Scottish minister has condemned social media posts made by his father which depicted the Star of David linked with a Swastika.
Public finance minister Tom Arthur said the post fell “far short” of his stance against discrimination.
Police Scotland has said it is investigating the reported online “offensive content”.
The post was shared by the minister’s father – also known as Tom Arthur – on April 1, the same day the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into effect.
Alongside the intertwined symbols, it included the words “Nazism = Zionism”.
The SNP said disciplinary action would have been taken had Mr Arthur Snr not resigned his party membership.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the Scottish Government minister said: “As an SNP MSP, I stand against discrimination of any kind. The online post shared by a family member falls far short of that position and I condemn the views expressed.
“Six months on from Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack which claimed the lives of more than 1,000 innocent civilians, I will continue to call for the immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and for a permanent two state solution to pave the way towards peace.”
An SNP spokeswoman said: “The SNP stands firmly against antisemitism. The social media post is unacceptable and would have been subject to disciplinary investigation had the individual concerned not resigned their party membership with immediate effect.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a complaint which is being investigated as a communications offence.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.