Sturgeon’s plea to JK rugby trolls
NICOLA Sturgeon has tried to rein in Cybernats who attacked JK Rowling for praising the Scottish rugby team.
The First Minister said it was wrong to call opponents ‘antiScottish’ and urged her followers not to hurl abuse online.
Miss Rowling’s tweet following Sunday’s defeat triggered a venomous response from Nationalists who have still not forgiven her for donating £1million to Better Together last year.
After the match, fellow author Muriel Gray tweeted: ‘Don’t care, Scotland were magnificent! Magnificent!’
Miss Rowling replied: ‘ True that!’ In a tweet to the Scotland team, she added: ‘You were magnificent. You did us proud.’
This was greeted by a torrent of abuse. Pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland, who lives in Bath, tweeted: ‘You two can both **** off. You don’t think we’re a nation at all.’
He was quickly put in his place by Miss Rowling, who replied: ‘I know Scotland’s a nation. I live there, you see. I pay tax there and I contribute more than bile there.’
Bizarrely, Denise Coupar blamed Miss Rowling for inciting the hatred she received, tweeting: ‘Very insensitive of JK to tweet her 80 minute patriotism – people are upset.’
Scottish Tory l eader Ruth Davidson was also targeted after tweeting: ‘You are ******* kidding me. Sick. But what a shift from Scotland. Bloody heroes all.’
John Grant responded: ‘ You really are a nasty, small-minded fat git Davidson.’
But Miss Sturgeon tweeted: ‘Note to my fellow independence supporters. People who disagree are not anti-Scottish. Does our cause no good to hurl abuse (& it’s wrong).’
Other pro-independence figures also criticised the abuse.
Author Val McDermid wrote: ‘I f or one am proud to call @jk_rowling and @ArtyBagger my fellow countrywomen.’
Kevin Williamson, co-founder of the pro-independence website Bella Caledonia, tweeted: ‘Embarrassed by Wings’ nasty jibe at @ jk_rowling & @ArtyBagger, two amazing women who’ve enriched our culture.’
Opposition politicians urged Miss Sturgeon to take action against any SNP members engaging in abuse.
Scottish Tory chief whip John Lamont said: ‘ There is internet abuse on both sides but the Nationalists are getting quite a reputation for it. The SNP said it would take action when the cruel taunts Charles Kennedy suffered were exposed.
‘The First Minister should go further and expel these bullies. Her failure to do so only goes to show what the SNP stands for.’
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: ‘This is not the first time Nicola Sturgeon has reprimanded her own supporters for their online abuse, but it is refreshing nonetheless as they used to deny that there was ever a problem.
‘This reveals the scale of the problem for the Nationalist movement, which has been infected by large numbers of people who believe the way to win an argument is to be offensively aggressive online.’
A Scottish Labour spokesman called Miss Sturgeon’s tweet ‘ a welcome intervention’.
‘Abuse does our cause no good’