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SNP urged to investigate suspect Yes groups after Facebook purge

Facebook
Facebook

The Tories have called on the SNP to look into suspect Yes groups after a Facebook page was exposed as an Iran-backed fake.

Free Scotland 2014, which had 20,000 followers, was revealed to be funded in Iran and removed by the social media giant this week.

Murdo Fraser, the Perthshire MSP, said Nicola Sturgeon’s party has a duty to run a full investigation into the scale of the issue.

The Scottish Conservative said: “The revelation that the Free Scotland 2014 page – which had more than 20,000 followers – was a fake account backed by the Iranian state is incredible, and deeply worrying.

“From the US election to the independence referendum drive, we are all beginning to learn that democracy is under attack from countries like Russian and Iran who want to weaken us.

“The SNP has a choice; either pander to these disgraceful regimes, as its former leader and ex-First Minister Alex Salmond does on a weekly basis.

“Or stand up to this threat and assist Facebook by investigating pro-independence online outlets with which it has a connection to verify that they are what they claim to be.”

Some 652 accounts and pages, which were linked with Russian and Iran, were taken down by Facebook for “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour” involving the sharing of political information.

A spokesman for the SNP said: “We’re pleased to see Facebook now taking steps to actively banning fake accounts.”