Cybernat hatred ‘is being co-ordinated’
Darling believes pattern of online attacks suggests central control
THE pro-independence campaign was accused last night of deliberately orchestrating ‘cybernat’ attacks on opponents.
Alistair Darling, chairman of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, claimed online abuse is being centrally co-ordinated by those who want to see Scotland torn out of the UK.
He pointed out that abuse of opponents tends to be started and then stamped out ‘remarkably uniformly’, indicating that the mainstream campaign and the hate-filled cybernats may somehow be working together as one.
He believes that someone may be issuing orders to criticise opponents, and then to stop the abuse when it goes too far. Although Mr Darling did not go so far as to accuse senior members of the SNP or the Yes Scotland campaign, the two organisations reacted immediately, dismissing his claims as ‘unsubstantiated’.
Yes Scotland also claimed that more pro-independence supporters are subjected to online abuse than those who back the Union. A string of business leaders, politicians, celebrities and everyday people have been vilified by the cybernats – the Nationalist activists who stalk online forums – just for voicing support for Scotland remaining in the UK.
The vitriol has led to some pro-Union figures keeping their views about independence secret, for fear they could encounter abuse or that their businesses could be damaged.
Mr Darling has regularly criticised the cybernats, saying they ‘shame Scotland’ with their vile online attacks on opponents.
But he went much further in an interview with The Scottish Mail on Sunday, when he claimed that the attacks are being orchestrated centrally.
He said: ‘It is a real problem. When I started doing this a few years ago, I didn’t believe it – but more and more people have said to me, “We’ve been told to shut up”.
‘You see extreme examples like Barrhead Travel, where the guy was publicly vilified, but look what happens when any business puts its head above the parapet – look what happens with the cybernats.’
Asked if he believed any senior figures in the Yes campaign had any involvement in the abuse, Mr Darling responded: ‘All I know is it seems to switch on and off remarkably uniformly.
‘Remember, on the day we launched our campaign, one of our “ordinary people” who appeared on stage was subject to the most violent online abuse?
‘When she started complaining, and there was quite a fuss, it all stopped within 20 minutes.’
Officially sanctioned advice from the SNP has urged activists to bombard radio phone-ins, newspaper letters pages and online media sites with comments about the case for separation.
The ‘cybernats’ are known to be among the most opinionated of Nationalists, and there has been a range of claims that they have gone too far when criti-
‘It switches on and off remarkably uniformly’
cising opponents. Yet Mr Darling conceded that, despite his strong suspicions, he does not have any evidence that the online vitriol is being co-ordinated by anyone in the SNP or Yes Scotland.
One victim of abuse was pro-Union supporter Ceilidh McLeod, 26, one of a series of ‘ordinary Scots’ to appear on stage at the launch of the Better Together campaign.
Soon after her appearance – which was covered by TV crews – she received a string of online messages, including one saying: ‘You need a check-up from the neck up. Amazing how low some will stoop for 15 minutes of fame.’
Mrs McLeod said: ‘It was a bit of a shock to get that kind of thing said, just because I stood up and gave a view on a subject.
‘I was quite taken aback, because I would never abuse someone just for their thoughts. I think this kind of thing is awful, especially when it is for something like this.’
She added: ‘It took a lot for me to stand up there in front of all these people and the TV cameras and get the words out, especially when politics is not my strong point.
‘I think people who can slander and abuse people just for their thoughts are the people who really do need a check-up from the neck up.’
Last month, SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon admitted that some of the debate about the referendum has been ‘less than tolerant’ – and said people on both sides still have to be able to live together after the result of September’s poll is announced.
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said yesterday: ‘When you see the sheer number of cybernats who snap into action like well-drilled online troops, it would be hard not to conclude there is some level of organisation and co-ordination.
‘The SNP is quick to condemn these individuals publicly, but people will wonder if it is doing enough behind the scenes to crack down on the issue.’ A spokesman for Yes Scotland said: ‘A recent poll showed that while 8 per cent of those planning to vote No in the referendum had been subjected to online abuse, 21 per cent of those planning to vote Yes had been similarly abused. ‘It is therefore incumbent on both sides of the argument, including Mr Darling, to ensure the debate is conducted in a respectful and courteous manner. ‘Expressing unsubstantiated claims based on mere suspicion is not helpful and does nothing to raise the standard.’