Scottish politicians sharing images smearing women's groups

[ArabellaScott]

Heather Herbert, candidate for Scottish Labour, shared a cartoon yesterday on Twitter that depicts a figure standing as ForWomenScotland wearing a KKK hood. I'll not link as it's pretty offensive and I don't know if MN would allow it.

Herbert's caption: 'Reading the SNP manifesto and for some reason this image jumped into my mind...

Can't think why.'

There were calls for Heather to be reported for hate crime.

The image was then retweeted by Emma Cuthbertson, Co-convenor of Scottish Green Party Women.

Why the aversion to groups set up for women's rights? Are the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour trying to say the SNP are transphobic?

It would be strategic, to show what the new hate crime laws are really about. It's one thing to parse the wording to explain the gaps, it's quite another to show how they work in practice.

I'm offended, so there's definitely a hate crime been committed. That's all that's necessary. And who knows how I identify at this moment in time!

The Scots MPs insisted this kind of thing was criminal, let's see them taste their own medicine.

But only if it's because of all the protected characteristics except for sex. So women aren't protected.

They were careful to include 'cross dressers' as protected. And very careful to exclude women.

But only if it's because of all the protected characteristics except for sex. So women aren't protected.

I tick at least three other boxes apart from sex. Many, many women do..... Besides which, under the Stonewall guidance pretty much everyone in Scotland is NB/GNC.

It would obviously be lovely if women would just stay in the one box which can be kept shut, but it just ain't possible.

I could be racially offended just on the grounds of using the KKK and the appalling deaths of many, terrified people as a casual joke just for a start.

Good point, Michelle. Well, I hope somebody does take this kind of casual slander seriously.

Fortunately, Heather is bottom of the Labour list for NE (I think Jenny Marra's brother is top and he's sound), but this really shouldn't be allowed to slide! Apparently, Heather has posted this picture in the past. Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference and the charming person in charge of Rainbow Greens, Scottish politics -with honorable exceptions - feels like a bin fire for women's rights.

Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference

WHAT?

Oh yes, even twitter accepted it violated the rules. But crickets from the Greens. Apparently, he was only threatening "queerphobic" people and therefore people couldn't object, because they were tacitly admitting to "queerphobia".

@Alicethroughtheblackmirror

Fortunately, Heather is bottom of the Labour list for NE (I think Jenny Marra's brother is top and he's sound), but this really shouldn't be allowed to slide! Apparently, Heather has posted this picture in the past. Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference and the charming person in charge of Rainbow Greens, Scottish politics -with honorable exceptions - feels like a bin fire for women's rights.

Heather Herbert is 8 out of 9 on the Labour list for North East Scotland, but is also the Labour candidate for Donside.

Labour should suspend Herbert, even if that means they have no candidate in that constituency for Holyrood 2021. Greens should do the same with Booth. If the SNP could do it with Neale Hanvey for Westminster 2019, why aren't these other parties stepping up? Why aren't they being pressured to do so?

Thank you Sage, you are right. I had heard that Heather came bottom in the list vote, but zipping meant that men and women had to be ordered alternately and so Heather was bumped up (I do not think HH has a GRC).

Labour suspended the candidate who posted the awful meme in 2019 about Joanna Cherry, so yes, why aren't they taking action?

The Greens should do something, but I fear they are so far gone now that they actually think encouraging VAW is OK. I was horrified when I saw that John Finnie, a former police officer, was calling women "terrorists" in the Hate Crime debate.