Now Nationalist trolls target TV star Neil over his heritage job
THEIR targets for online abuse have included Sir Chris Hoy, David Bowie and JK Rowling.
Now TV presenter Neil Oliver has become the latest to be singled out by Nationalist trolls.
They are demanding he is removed from his new heritage job for being critical of Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish independence.
The historian and archaeologist, 50, was unveiled as the National Trust for Scotland’s new president on Saturday at its annual general meeting in Dundee.
Within hours Nationalists were posting torrents of abuse about him, with many vowing to cancel their memberships over his pro-British views.
Thousands of people have signed two separate petitions demanding he be removed from his post.
Oliver – who took over from Lord Lindsay – was described on social media as a ‘British nationalist fanatic’ who ‘actively works against the interests of Scotland’. The respected broadcaster qualified as an archaeologist in 1988 and has presented programmes for the BBC and Channel 4. He has also written several books.
But Twitter user Alan Knight wrote: ‘This guy is a joke, an embarrassment to Scotland. Hates his own nation, and will not be forgiven. The National Trust for Scotland are Brit nat idiots.’
Irene Beavis wrote: ‘I’ll be cancelling my membership. Neil Oliver is a Scotland hater.’
Oliver sparked anger among pro-independence campaigners last year when he criticised Miss Sturgeon, Alex Salmond and the Yes Scotland campaign in a newspaper column. He wrote:
‘Embarrassment to Scotland’
‘Salmond is a big, round wrecking ball of a man, shaped only to do damage. He and his sort – Sturgeon and the rest – fail even to comprehend what it is they behold and despise.’
An online petition demanding he be fired from his trust role attracted more than 3,000 signatures before it was disabled by petition website 38 degrees for ‘inappropriate content’.
A petition on Change.org – claiming Oliver does not have ‘Scotland’s interests at heart’ – had gained almost 600 signatures yesterday.
The NTS said his personal political views were of ‘no interest’ to them. A spokesman said: ‘Neil Oliver has done a fantastic job in promoting the heritage, history and archaeology of Scotland and that clearly chimes with our objectives as a charity. And those are the skills we are interested in.’