NICOLA Sturgeon has issued a second warning to SNP activists not to campaign for a candidate suspended over anti-Semitism after Labour claimed he was still receiving tacit support.
The First Minister again urged supporters to steer clear of Neale Hanvey in Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath and work instead for candidates in neighbouring seats.
Mr Hanvey, a former leader of the SNP group on Fife Council, was suspended last month after it emerged he had promoted an online article featuring a classic anti-Semitic trope.
He admitted making two “deeply offensive” social media posts, one involving a cartoon depicting the Jewish billionaire George Soros as a puppet master.
He had been tipped to win in Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, where the deputy Scottish Labour leader Lesley Laird has a majority of just 259.
Mr Hanvey is now fighting the seat as an Independent, but hopes to be readmitted to the SNP fold following a conduct hearing.
Tracked down by BBC Scotland in Lochgelly, Mr Hanvey said he was “very sorry for any offence that’s been caused” and “of course” he would like to be readmitted to the party, adding: “The SNP is an incredibly important part of my life.”
Ms Laird said she doubted SNP assurances he had been disowned.
She said: “There are huge numbers of SNP candidates campaigning with this non-candidate. His Facebook account is pinned with senior SNP figures. He still seems to be using SNP colours and there’s an implication on the doors that he might be taken back into the fold when the dust dies down.”
Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw last week urged Ms Sturgeon to show “real leadership” and discipline any SNP member who campaigned for Mr Hanvey during his suspension.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I’ve been very clear, I’ve said it publicly, I’ll say it again - SNP members in that constituency should not be supporting his campaign, they should be going to other neighbouring constituencies to campaign for candidates there.
“The SNP could not have been clearer here, these are not easy situations for any party to find themselves in but you have to do the right thing.
“We’ve done the right thing here, I regret that we were in this position but he’s not an SNP candidate, he shouldn’t be using SNP materials, I haven’t seen any evidence of that, and that’s very clear.”
“We’ve taken that [decision] because we have zero tolerance to anti-Semitism and that’s the right and important decision and position we took.”
She said that the SNP would deal with all conduct complaints about party members “fairly and robustly”.
She said: “He’s not the SNP candidate in that constituency, but what happens after that is for a disciplinary process that is independent of me and I think it’s right that that’s allowed to take its course.”
The Scottish Tories have suspended their candidates in Aberdeen North and Glasgow Central for alleged bigotry, while Labour have suspended theirs in Falkirk.
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