THE SNP have suspended their candidate in a top target seat over alleged anti-Semitism.
The party said it was no longer supporting Neale Hanvey in Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath.
The second most marginal Labour seat in Scotland, it is being defended by shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird with a majority of just 259 votes.
It is understood Mr Hanvey previously promoted a website article featuring a cartoon of the Jewish billionaire George Soros as a puppet-master, a classic anti-Semitic trope.
The Scottish Greens suggested pro-independence voters back their candidate instead.
Mr Hanvey, the former SNP group leader on Fife Council, is the fourth Scottish party candidate to have been suspended over alleged bigotry in the election.
The Tories have also suspended Ryan Houghton in Aberdeen North and Flora Scarabello in Glasgow Central, while Labour have suspended Safia Ali in Falkirk.
However Mr Hanvey is the first candidate to be suspended who was expected to win.
All the suspended candidates will remain on the ballot paper on December 12, as it is too late to remove or replace them, but will no longer have any party support or funding.
Mr Hanvey had already raised £2090 through an online crowdfunding appeal.
Kirsten Oswald, the chair of the SNP, and the party’s candidate in East Renfrewshire, said: “Anti-Semitism has no place in Scotland, and no place in the SNP. All political parties have a duty to show leadership, and to take tough action.
"Neale Hanvey is no longer an SNP candidate, and his membership has been suspended pending disciplinary action.
"All support for his campaign has been withdrawn."
The SNP has also removed Mr Hanvey's candidate profile from its website.
Scottish Green candidate Scott Rutherford said he had been endorsed by Yes Kirkcaldy following the suspension of Mr Hanvey.
He said: "Discriminatory language is unacceptable and parties have a duty to act when their candidates use it.
“With the SNP suspending their candidate in Kirckaldy and Cowdenbeath, it’s now clear that only a vote for the Scottish Greens can unseat Lesley Laird and secure a pro-independence MP in this constituency.
“The Scottish Greens are already leading on local issues such as protecting the renewables supply chain at BiFab and tackling pollution at Mossmorran, so a vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote for independence and to demand climate action.”
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