Police have been contacted after a north-east Conservative supporter received a “sinister” warning on a sign purportedly from ultra-nationalist group Siol nan Gaidheal.
A private landowner near Aboyne found the message, which referenced the Siol nan Gaidheal group, next to an election campaign sign supporting Alexander Burnett, a former MSP and Tory candidate in Aberdeenshire West.
The sign stated: “WHAT HAS THIS MAN DONE FOR YOU.”
It was accompanied by a message that read: “Please don’t remove this information or this sign, or I will be compelled to remove all signs referring to Burnett or Indy Ref 2.
“Heed the warning, you have been telt ! ! Siol nan Gaidheal Act where words go unheeded.”
It is understood that a similar sign had been erected on private land at the weekend.
It was taken down and then another sign was put up on Sunday night, with the added “warning”.
‘Little more than intimidation’
Meanwhile, two large Conservative election signs were also believed to have been removed from private land at Aboyne and Inchmarlo over the weekend.
All three incidents have been reported to the police.
There have been three incarnations of Siol nan Gaidheal, which means “Seed of the Gael”, over the years.
Messages like this do not belong in Scotland, or anywhere else.”
Scottish Conservatives spokesman
It was formed in 1978 and banned from the SNP in the 1980s amid claims its members were “proto fascists”.
The group’s website describes it as a Scottish cultural and fraternal organisation.
A spokesman for the Conservatives in the north-east said: “This is a very sinister development, which amounts to little more than intimidation.
“Alexander has been a champion for his constituency for the last five years.
“Messages like this do not belong in Scotland, or anywhere else.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We have received a report regarding the theft of two signs and the placement of an unauthorised sign on private land along the A93, Aberdeenshire. Enquiries are ongoing.”