POLICE are investigating hate crime in the Scottish capital in the wake of the European Referendum after racist posters were put up across large parts of the city.
A swathe of posters and stickers were attached to lampposts and buildings in Edinburgh, which has one of the highest proportions of Poles in the UK, in the aftermath of the UK vote to leave the European Union.
The content was described as "neo-Nazi, anti-Islamic and anti-Polish".
READ MORE: After the vote, the hate: racism in the wake of Brexit
Separately, one Pole living in Edinburgh was asked on the bus when they would be "going home" and people of Asian origin have been told "you'll be next".
A spokesman for Police Scotland said the reported incidents in Leith, Lochend, Newhaven and Meadowbank are being investigated.
It comes as new figures revealed more than 3,000 hate crimes and incidents were reported to police forces across the UK in the second half of June - a 42 per cent rise compared with the same period in 2015 - and a Polish family in Plymouth were left in terror after the shed next to their house was torched and a death threat delivered.
READ MORE: After the vote, the hate: racism in the wake of Brexit
Alex Lunn, SNP councillor for Craigentinny and Duddingston, said he received numerous calls from residents shocked and disgusted by the posters in the days following the referendum.
But he said members of the local community got together to help remove posters and stickers.
He said: "I would say there's a feeling of resistance.
"People are saying 'no, we are not going to be intimated, we are not going to give in to them'."
"The council officers and the police responded very quickly."
He added: "It was neo-Nazi, it was anti-Islamic, it was anti-Polish.
"I would say to the small minded racist cowards that did it, you will be defeated, ultimately."
READ MORE: After the vote, the hate: racism in the wake of Brexit
The diverse migrant population includes many Europeans with the 13,000 Poles in Edinburgh making up 2.7 per cent of the city’s total population and representing about a fifth of the Polish community in Scotland.
Magda Czarnecka, of the migrant support group in Edinburgh called Feniks, said anyone who is a victim of hate crime should not hesitate to come forward.
She said: "Do not interact with the person, but notice information, or record it, and report it to police."
Shami Khan, of the Edinburgh and Lothians Racial Equality Council (Elrec), said: "Asian people, especially women, have been targeted and many are to scared to come forward.
"I ask them to speak to Elrec or even your doctor, your name will be kept out."
READ MORE: After the vote, the hate: racism in the wake of Brexit
Cammy Day, Labour councillor for Forth ward and community safety leader, said: “Edinburgh is a diverse and thriving city and we do not tolerate any form of hate crime, whether it’s to do with age, gender, race, faith, sexual orientation or disability.
He urged "anyone who sees or experiences this to get in touch with their neighbourhood office or Police Scotland".
The force said hate crime and racism figures for the fortnight since the referendum are not yet available.
Chief Superintendent Barry McEwan said: "At this time we have not witnessed any increase in the level of reports being received.
"However we acknowledge that often these incidents go unreported."
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police in Edinburgh are aware of a number of posters containing racially offensive material, which have been posted in the Leith, Lochend, Newhaven and Meadowbank areas of the city.
"These items were subsequently removed and inquiries are continuing to identify those responsible."
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