Police probe hate-f illed mob who abused Tories

Hardline nationalists face inquiry for barrage of vitriol, eggs and spit

POLICE have launched a probe into a hate mob which threw eggs, spat on and verbally abused people at a Tory leadership hustings.

Attendees ran a ‘gauntlet of hate’ from mainly pro-independence protesters who gathered in Perth to heckle Conservatives arriving to listen to leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Holly Moscrop, chairman of the Scottish Tories’ youth wing, said she was called a ‘Tory wh***’, had her coat pulled and was spat on.

Last night Police Scotland vowed to ‘fully investigate’ any criminality.

The Scottish Conservatives have lodged a formal complaint with Police Scotland, saying they believe that hardline nationalist groups and other independence supporters in the crowd were responsible for the abuse.

In today’s Scottish Mail on Sunday, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross describes the protesters’ actions as ‘deplorable and despicable’. He said: ‘The party has been in contact with Police Scotland and we will help them in any way we can. I would hope if individuals can be identified for their behaviour that the appropriate action is taken. We have to send a message that this is unacceptable.

‘Members of the party were going to listen to the next leader of our party and the next leader of our country and fellow Scots thought it was acceptable to treat others by abusing them, by harassing them and by intimidating them.’

Mr Ross was present at the event, as were many Conservative MPs, MSPs and roughly 600 party members. The BBC’s Scotland editor James Cook was also subjected to abuse, being called a ‘traitor’ and a ‘scumbag rat’.

Nicola Sturgeon subsequently tweeted that the behaviour he was subjected to was ‘disgraceful’.

In a statement, Police Scotland said: ‘We are aware of concerns raised following the protest. We will carry out a post-event review, as is normal practice, and these concerns will be considered as part of that. If any criminality is established it will be fully investigated.’

There has been widespread condemnation of the events in Perth from across the political spectrum – including from SNP politicians.

However, Mr Ross added: ‘I don’t just see it as a fringe of the nationalist movement. I see this as something that has not been condemned strongly enough by those at the top of the SNP.

‘Nicola Sturgeon thought it was bad that James Cook was abused and tweeted about that, but not about those hundreds of Conservative members, Scots voters, treated in exactly the same way.’

The two main nationalist movements, the SNP and Alba, said they are unaware of any party members throwing eggs or spitting at members of the public.

‘Have to send a message that this is unacceptable’