Edinburgh’s council leader condemns ‘unacceptable’ Boris Johnson depiction on Leith Walk building

Edinburgh City Council leader Adam McVey has condemned people who make threats to politicians’ well being after a disturbing image of Boris Johnson appeared on an Edinburgh building.

The image appeared to depict the Prime Minister hanging from a building in the Leith Walk area of the city.

Posting on Twitter on Saturday night, Mr McVey said: “Council officers are removing an unacceptable image of Boris Johnson on Leith Walk after I spoke with them earlier today.

“By all means- disagree, debate & VOTE but let’s leave the threats to politicians’ wellbeing & targeted harassment of their families out of it please. #BeKind.”

Concerns were also raised last week about graffiti showing a tombstone which read ‘RIP Priti Patel 2021’ on the walls of the old TSB bank on Portobello High Street.

Inverleith councillor and leader of Edinburgh City Council’s Conservatrive group, Iain Whyte, described it as “effectively a death threat” and said it has no place in Scottish or British politics.

Speaking of the image depicting Boris Johnson, Mr Whyte said: “These kinds of aggressions have no place in Scottish or British politics, regardless of whether or not you disagree. Threatening violence or violence against any politician should end.

“As we approach the Scottish election we need to have an open and live debate - but keep it with the bounds of reasonableness.

The disturbing image of Boris Johnson was pictured hanging from a building in Leith Walk. Pic: Iain Whyte.

“There will always be extremists who say and do the wrong thing, but on all sides we have to call it out. It's unacceptable.”

The emergence of these disturbing images come amid 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.

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

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