A TOP Covid adviser to Nicola Sturgeon has revealed how police were forced to investigate after she received threats from anti-maskers on Facebook.

Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of public health at Edinburgh University, said she has faced a barrage of "absurd" social media attacks throughout the pandemic ranging from criticism for praising Edinburgh as a place to live to tweeting a picture of a vegan chocolate cake, which prompted complaints to Edinburgh University and "several angry responses accusing me of promoting unhealthy eating and obesity".

 

 

Writing in 'Preventable', her forthcoming book on the Covid-19 experience, Prof Sridhar said online trolls accused her of being part of a "deep state" conspiracy to fake a viral pandemic, and would regularly subject her to abuse via online blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter, Facebook, and "daily mal-intentioned edits to my academic record on Wikipedia".

She writes: "It was so much, and so absurd, with the various groups blending together in bizarre ways: the antivaxxers, with the anti-maskers, with the anti-lockdowners, and even distant colleagues who felt angry about swimming pools being closed or not being able to go abroad on holiday.

"And there was also the reassuring consistency and dedication of Scottish Unionists (those against the pro-independence SNP), who would show up daily on my timeline to misquote something I had said or criticise my credentials as a scientist."

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At one point, Prof Sridhar said she received two threats via Facebook "from members of the anti-mask movement" which "police picked up because they contained threatening and personal information".

Prof Sridhar, who is a member of the Scottish Government's Covid-19 Advisory Group and also sits on several sub-committees, said she developed a "close working relationship" with the First Minister, even revealing that Ms Sturgeon signed up to be her first client when she trained as a personal fitness instructor.

 

 

She describes the First Minister as a "careful thinker" who "wants to understand the detail and evidence of all policy matters and has struggled against misogyny in a largely male dominated political world".

She writes: "I should say clearly that she never asked me to change what I said publicly; she listened carefully, asked thoughtful questions, and tried to understand the best data and evidence.

"I never felt any political pressure to say what she wanted to hear: she wanted the blunt truth from me, and I gave it without fear or favour, in my typically direct American way."

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However, Prof Sridhar, said an "immediate public backlash in England" faced any advisor to the Scottish Government or the First Minister if they "said anything positive about Scotland's approach to the pandemic".

The American academic, who is arguably one of the most recognisable scientists in Scotland due to her prominent role in the media and on television during the pandemic, said she found herself on the receiving end of an "overarching political agenda" from some sections of the press.

She writes: "Many of my comments or observations were deliberately misquoted or misrepresented by right-wing outlets such as the Mail and the Spectator, which made repeated attempts to discredit my credentials and reputation as part of a larger attempt to discredit the majority [SNP] Scottish Government and an increasingly popular Sturgeon."

The Herald: Prof Sridhar said she faced an online backlash whenever she said anything positive about Scotland's handling of the pandemic, or even just about living in EdinburghProf Sridhar said she faced an online backlash whenever she said anything positive about Scotland's handling of the pandemic, or even just about living in Edinburgh

Attacks on scientists were repeated "across the globe", said Prof Sridhar, as an angry and frustrated public blamed them for lockdown and politicians "pointed the finger at the scientists who had advised on the emergency rules and loss of freedoms that followed".

However, Prof Sridhar said Scotland was "the only place I have lived where saying anything good about it, in this instance Edinburgh, triggers anger among a tiny minority".

She writes: "When I lived in Miami, I was proud to live there, and the same thing applied to Oxford, Munich, Seoul and Chennai; but when it comes to Scotland, this seemed to upset those who see anything positive about Scotland as a soundbite for Scottish independence.

"Yet, in person, everyone I have met has been lovely and kind, whether taxi drivers, supermarket staff, health workers or random people in the park."

'Preventable: How a Pandemic Changed the World & How to Stop the Next One' goes on sale on April 21