CHARLES Kennedy’s brother-in-law has called for a zero-tolerance approach to abuse during the remainder of the Holyrood election campaign.
The former LibDem leader was bombarded with a deluge of “abhorrent” personal abuse during the 2015 General Election campaign before losing his seat.
He died less than a month after the election from a haemorrhage linked to his battle with alcoholism.
The Scottish LibDems have now called for a “Kennedy Commitment” where Scotland’s political parties would agree to “challenge and denounce” abuse of candidates and “treat political opponents, journalists and the public with respect”. The late MP’s brother-in-law James Gurling has written a joint letter with Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie and urged politicians to commit to “open, honest and respectful debate”.
Gurling said: “The reaction to BBC Alba’s recent documentary reminds us how missed Charles is but also how abhorrent people of all political persuasions thought the online abuse was. We must never go back to those old divisions.
“With social media playing an increasingly prominent role in elections, politicians can show they have learned the lessons of the past and send a clear message of the value we hold in open, honest and respectful debate.”
The intervention follows incidents during the Scottish Parliament election campaign, including a brick being hurled through the LibDems Edinburgh office, a man being charged following an incident with SNP candidate Fergus Mutch and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar being racially abused.
Rennie said: “The behaviour we experienced this week is simply beyond the pale. On behalf of my party and the staff involved, I am thankful to the party leaders for their support following the incident.
“The public deserve politicians who are able to turn a page in Scottish politics. I am therefore urging all the parties to show the best of Scotland, come together and unite against any and all abuse.
Kirsten Oswald, the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader, said: “As the First Minister said at the beginning of the campaign, the SNP will call out abuse, harassment and intimidation every time and it’s welcome that with the exception of a few isolated incidents, this campaign has been overwhelmingly respectful as most campaigns in Scotland are.
“We will work with any and all parties to challenge hate and abuse wherever it rears its ugly head.”
Sarwar added: “I will be signing up to the ‘Kennedy Commitment’. Our politics should be about what unites us, not what divides us.”
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