THE SNP have filed a formal complaint over a "race-baiting" Reform UK advert about Anas Sarwar.
Nigel Farage’s party used selected parts from a video of the Scottish Labour leader to claim that he “has said he will prioritise the Pakistani community” as it targeted voters ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on June 5.
It is followed by a clip of him saying: “The days where South Asian communities get to lead political parties and get to lead countries is now upon us.”
The ad then fades to text claiming “only Reform will prioritise the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse”.
The clip comes from a longer video of an event in late 2022 at which Sarwar said South Asian people were beginning to enter British politics themselves, and would no longer just be seen as a “vote bank”.
A selective cut from the speech was spread by far- and alt-right agitators on social media last month in a bid to present “our Europe” as under attack from “multiculturalism” and mass immigration, specifically of Muslims.
The ad ran online from May 12 on Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Meta.
According to Meta, Reform UK have spent up to £15,000 on the post which has been seen by around 600,000 people.
On Monday, the Daily Record reported that the new SNP chief executive, Carol Beattie, has written to Meta to complain about the ad.
It comes after both the SNP and Scottish Labour united to condemn Reform UK over the "blatantly racist" ad.
Beattie (above) said: “The video strongly criticises Scottish Labour Leader, Anas Sarwar, for promoting the inclusion of the Pakistani community in Scotland and portrays this kind of engagement with the Pakistani community in Scotland in a disparaging and negative manner.
“I strongly believe this content crosses the line into race-baiting and scapegoating, framing the support of a long-established ethnic minority community as a threat to the living standards of people in Scotland.
“I am deeply concerned that Meta's platform is being used to amplify this type of content.
“It raises serious questions about the enforcement of your community standards and your platform's responsibility in mitigating the spread of racially charged misinformation and hate speech.
“I would urge Meta to take the following to immediately review the video, remove the content, and apply appropriate sanctions. I would also be grateful for clarification on Meta's position on how political advertising and organic content will be monitored to prevent the incitement of racial hatred.
“As I'm sure you're aware, failure to act undermines trust in Meta's platforms and risks contributing to social division in Scotland at a critical political juncture.”
Speaking last week, Sarwar said Reform UK were questioning whether he belonged in Scotland.
“They want to try and question my identity, my belonging and my loyalty to the country in which I was born, the country with which I identify, the country in which my children were born”, he said.
“I am a Scot, a proud Scot. Having worked in Scotland’s NHS, I want to deliver a fairer and better Scotland. What these guys are, are chancers who want to play on people’s fears, to divide us rather than actually deliver meaningful solutions for the people of Scotland.”
