A French-born former MSP has been subject to vile online abuse in the aftermath of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.
Christian Allard, who has lived in Scotland for the past 30 years, has reported an online message to Police Scotland which told him to “go back to France”.
The slur being directed at the ex-North East Scotland SNP representative came to light the day after The Courier revealed an German woman who has lived in Scotland for the past 47 years was “alarmed” by a “scaremongering” letter from the SNP saying she is welcome to stay in post-Brexit Scotland.
Mr Allard, who lost his seat in May’s Holyrood election, said: “The campaign was all about immigration and the fear of the foreigner. On top of that, you have the atmosphere getting a lot worse.
“I received a tweet this morning which I have forwarded to Police Scotland. It says: ‘Go back to France and get a job if you don’t like it here.’
“I don’t blame the individual. It is the politicians who decided to take the UK down that path. There was never the debate about the EU that we should have had. It was never about the EU, it was about immigration.
“Anyone who looks foreign or sounds foreign will be targeted now. It’s not just online. It will be when you go for a job, when you go for a flat. It could have been very different.
Asked if there is a culture of fear in the UK just now, he added: “I think it’s the fault of the political class at Westminster, not the people.
“You have seen it with Gove, Johnson, Farage all backing down and resigning because they realise what they have done.”
We previously reported the story of Helga and Michael Hunter, who settled in Scotland in the early 1970s having met in the former West Germany when Michael was stationed with the Scots Guards, who were stunned to receive a letter through the door from local SNP MSP Graeme Dey.
It read: “While there will be no immediate changes in your circumstances I appreciate there remains great uncertainty over how events will unfold.”
The couple have lived in Arbroath for more than 20 years but the SNP said letters are going out across Scotland and stated the blanket letter is “the right approach to take” in an “increasingly hostile atmosphere” following the UK referendum vote to leave the EU.
Mr Allard backed the approach, which he said offered assurances to people rather than raising fears.
He said: “When you hear the different stories, different families who have been here for five, 10, 30 years, it is very emotional.
“A lot of people have big questions with nobody to answer them. What’s going to happen to homes, children, the freedom to leave and come back? We feel betrayed by what’s happened.”
Mr Dey refused to comment on the letter.
Not very reassuring
Meanwhile, a Perth woman has also spoken out after receiving a similar letter to that sent to Helga Hunter.
Liese Lauder was born in the Bavarian town of Hockenheim, home of the German Grand Prix, and came to Scotland as a baby with her parents.
She received a letter from her constituency MSP Roseanna Cunningham.
The mother of three, who balked at applying for a British passport due to “extortionate fees”, said the paragraph implying uncertainty over the domicile status of EU citizens was “not very reassuring”.
Crieff resident Mrs Lauder, 60, said she has relatives in Germany but her allegiance is with Scotland and believes the root cause of the uncertainty was the EU referendum itself, for which “both sides are to blame”.
“They thrust the referendum on us and the consequences were not explained,” she said.
“They lied through their teeth.
“Scotland voted to remain.
“Obviously I’m not allowed to vote, but I think that is wrong.
“Anyone who has been here for years, who have a long-term stake in our future, should have a say.
“It wasn’t 100% democratic.”
