SCOTTISH Labour's newest councillor has been accused of linking her own party’s officials to Nazis in a post on Facebook.
Mary Lockhart was protesting a decision to ban a number of Labour members from voting in the upcoming leadership contest.
In response, the Fife councillor quoted a famous poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller about Nazis persecution.
Read more: SNP insiders urge Nicola Sturgeon to put brakes on second independence referendum
Ms Lockhart wrote on the social media site: “Who will they expel next? I have friends who are genuinely fearful!”
Underneath, she posted: "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
The Facebook message was posted earlier this month.
Scottish Labour said that the comparison was “unacceptable”.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said: "It shows just how much of a state the Labour is in when newly elected councillors are suggesting colleagues are Nazis."
A Lib Dem spokesman said that there were differences of opinion within every political party "but most people manage to resolve arguments without elected officials comparing apparatchiks to the Nazis".
A Scottish Labour spokesman said: "This kind of comparison is unacceptable. All elected representatives and party members have a duty to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner."
Ms Lockhart apologised for any offence caused.
Read more: SNP insiders urge Nicola Sturgeon to put brakes on second independence referendum
In a statement, she said: "I have found Pastor Neimoller’s most widely quoted poem inspiring since I first encountered it when the Rector of my school used it as a text on which to base his address at a school assembly.
"It is, in my view, a poem about having the courage to speak up for others experiencing adversity, whether you agree with their views or not, and it seems to me to underline some of the fundamental values of the Labour Party, namely solidarity.
“In posting it on Facebook, I had no intention of implying that suspensions or expulsions from the Labour Party were comparable to the Holocaust, or to the deliberate extermination of Jewish people, Lutherans, disabled people, and homosexuals which cast a long shadow over the 20th Century and beyond.
"I am deeply sorry if the post, in solidarity with a friend whose membership has been suspended, was interpreted as making such a comparison”.
Ms Lockhart was elected in a by-election following the resignation of Britain's last elected Communist politician.
Her win was hailed by the SNP who pointed out she was a pro-independence candidate.
At the time Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley hailed it as a “watershed moment” for Labour to field an openly pro-independence candidate.
The by-election in The Lochs area of Fife was triggered by the resignation of Willie Clarke, the UK's last elected Communist councillor.
Some Labour members have accused the party of denying them a vote because of their support for current leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Read more: SNP insiders urge Nicola Sturgeon to put brakes on second independence referendum
That has been denied by Labour which says it has a robust validation process to ensure every vote is valid “according to the party’s rules and agreed procedures”.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel