Anger as 'vile' neo-Nazi stickers appear around Edinburgh city centre

Racist slogans reportedly from an network of white supremacists were plastered around the Royal Mile.

Anti-racism campaigners have condemned the appearance of stickers bearing a white nationalist slogan in Edinburgh.

The signs bear the message 'Anti-Semitism is caused by Semitism' - a phrase touted by neo-nazis and white nationalists on internet forums.

It is understood the stickers have been put up by an anonymous network of calling themselves the Hundred Handers.

Stickers bearing an Anti-Semitic slogan were spotted in the roads around the Royal Mile by a woman who works in the area. Picture: Submitted

The person who spotted the messages took down several stickers on Jeffrey Street and St Mary's Street.

The woman, who works locally and does not want to be named, said: "I pulled down two on St Mary’s, one outside Jury’s Inn and one by La Garrigue, but was rushing through the area so didn’t have time to check for more.

"[The stickers say] it was put up by Hundred Handers, a white nationalist group. They target alienated young men. I do worry this could escalate to violence."

The stickers bear the name of white supremacist group Hundred Handers and tout a Neo-Nazi slogan. The stickers have been condemned by anti-racism groups. Picture: Submitted

She warned locals to be careful when removing the 'vile Nazi' stickers in case razor blades or sharp objects had been hidden behind - something other extremist groups have done in the past.

The woman added: "I know it’s been a problem elsewhere in Britain and Europe with far right stickers."

The incident is the latest in a string of similar attempts to spread hate messages across the UK.

In December, The Courier reported that a raft of neo-Nazi stickers with the slogan 'It's okay to be white' were put up around Perth town centre.

In February last year the same message was spotted on sticker in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, and similar reports have come from York.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "The implication of this phrase is that Jews cause antisemitism. The accusation that antisemitism is the result of Jews' own behaviour is a slur that has been used to persecute Jews for centuries, culminating in the Holocaust.

"This is offensive not just to Jews but all residents in Edinburgh and thousands of tourists. It is a terrible image for Edinburgh as the Royal Mile is such a popular and iconic tourist attraction. We expect that the authorities to remove the stickers immediately and investigate who is responsible."

A Council spokesperson said: “We’ve alerted our street cleansing, environmental warden and roads teams to be extra vigilant and if they see any of these racist stickers to remove them immediately.”