Death threat against Priti Patel appears on Portobello High Street

A thinly-veiled death threat against Home Secretary Priti Patel, which was daubed on the walls of a Capital bank, has been condemned by the city’s leading Tory councillor.
By Joseph Anderson LDRS
Published 5th Mar 2021, 11:57 BST
Updated 5th Mar 2021, 12:31 BST
The graffiti, scribbled on the walls of the old TSB bank on Portobello High Street, shows a tombstone emblazoned with the words ‘RIP Priti Patel 2021’.The graffiti, scribbled on the walls of the old TSB bank on Portobello High Street, shows a tombstone emblazoned with the words ‘RIP Priti Patel 2021’.
The graffiti, scribbled on the walls of the old TSB bank on Portobello High Street, shows a tombstone emblazoned with the words ‘RIP Priti Patel 2021’.

Inverleith councillor, and leader of Edinburgh City Council’s Conservative group, Iain Whyte, has raised concerns after seeing graffiti that incites violence against the Home Secretary.

The graffiti, scribbled on the walls of the old TSB bank on Portobello High Street, shows a tombstone emblazoned with the words ‘RIP Priti Patel 2021’.

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Councillor Whyte commented: “All of the stuff that goes on, particularly on the left of politics, particularly Conservative opponents, about political violence, about respect, about anti-racism, anything that’s offensive, that you then see this kind of thing which is effectively a death threat.

The graffiti has appeared on Portobello High Street.The graffiti has appeared on Portobello High Street.
The graffiti has appeared on Portobello High Street.

“It has no place in Scottish or British politics and I hope your newspaper highlighting it will mean that people think twice in future and it won’t happen again.”

The violence-inciting graffiti comes amidst a growing wave of death threats and abuse against politicians.

In October 2019, a parliamentary report revealed that threats of violence, including rape and murder, had become ‘commonplace’ against MPs.

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And in May of that year, neo-Nazi Jack Renshaw was jailed for plotting to murder West Lancashire Labour MP Rosie Cooper.

Edinburgh City Council officers have assured the councillor the graffiti will be removed ‘as soon as possible’.

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