Police probe racist, threatening comments on Fife MP’s Facebook page after Islamic Centre visit
Police are probing racist, threatening comments posted on Kirkcaldy’s MP’s Facebook page after she visited the town’s Islamic Centre following a Boxing Day incident.
Melanie Ward said she was “disgusted” by the abusive comments, and blamed them on outsiders “seeking to stir up hatred and division.”
The Labour MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy joined local politicians, police and a Church of Scotland minister on a visit to the Islamic Centre following the incident on December 26.
Police made two arrests after being called to the centre in the town’s St Mary’s Road area. Two men, both aged 46, were taken to hospital for assessment before being arrested and charged in connection with a number of offences. They appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on December 29.
One man was charged with threatening or abusive behaviour, carrying an offensive weapon and obstructing police. The other faced allegations of careless driving, while unfit to do so, failing to identify himself as a driver after an accident, threatening or abusive behaviour and having an offensive weapon in a public place. Neither entered a plea, and both were remanded.
Ms Ward said police have contacted her office after complaints made by members of the public about racist and threatening comments posted by others on her official Facebook page
She said: “Our visit was to convey support and solidarity in the wake of the awful incident which left everyone at the mosque frightened, including women and children. I posted a picture of that visit on Facebook.
"The level of racism, hatred and vitriol written by people on that post was so appalling that I had to switch off the comment function, and delete some of the worst abuse. Police have been investigating whether some of those abusive posts meet a criminal threshold.
“I am disgusted that people - most of whom are not from Kirkcaldy or from Fife - would seek to stir up hatred and division this way. I know that most local people will join me in rejecting this” She said her visit was “not a controversial thing for a local MP to do - it was the right thing to do.”
Ms Ward added: “Our community solidarity is one of our area’s greatest strengths, and I will never stand y whilst outsiders seek to cause harm and sow division.”