Why is the Scottish Government under fire for Remembrance Sunday posts?

This Remembrance Sunday has caused something of a stir among Scottish politicians.

This weekend MPs from all sides of the political spectrum were present in Whitehall to pay their respects to those who have laid down their lives for their country. At a time when politics is getting increasingly polarised, it’s a rare day of unity. But north of the border, this wasn’t the case.

The Scottish Government has been accused of choosing to “just ignore Remembrance Sunday altogether” after its social media account on X, formerly Twitter, failed to post anything directly to mark the occasion.

Shadow Scotland secretary Harriet Cross, the Conservative MP for Gordon and Buchan, wrote to the Scottish Government to ask why this was the case. In her letter, the MP also pointed out that the Scottish Government’s X account had, at exactly 11am – when the minute silence for the country’s veterans takes place – posted about a Sikh festival, Bandi Chhor Divas, instead.

In her letter, the shadow Scotland secretary wrote: ‘That timing, along with the complete disregard for Remembrance Sunday on the same platform, cannot be a coincidence.

“More than 207,000 names are recorded on the Scottish National War Memorial’s Roll of Honour and over 170,000 veterans currently live in Scotland. From the trenches of the First World War and the battlefields of the Second World War to the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, generations of Scottish servicemen and women have given their lives in service of our country. Why couldn’t both have been acknowledged? After all, 83,000 Sikhs were killed fighting in both World Wars. This failure to mark Remembrance Sunday shows a total disregard for the sacrifice our soldiers made and continue to make in defence of our country.’

The key concerns cited by opposition politicians are the timing of the Bandi Chhor Divas recognition– and the lack of a direct post by the Scottish Government on an important national day.

Andrew Bowie, the shadow energy secretary and Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, also weighed in. He accused the Scottish Government on X of showing a “callous disregard to history”, adding: ‘Let’s face it: the SNP chose not to [recognise Remembrance Sunday] because those fallen were wearing the Union flag on their shoulder. It says everything you need to know about these charlatans masquerading as statesmen.’

But the Scottish Government say that Remembrance Sunday was recognised – and that this is all politicking. In response to Harriet Cross’s letter, First Minister John Swinney said that her claims are “categorically false” as, he noted, the Scottish Government account had reposted a post from the First Minister’s account marking his attendance at the Stone of Remembrance.

He argued that the Tory MP had “knowingly perpetrated a falsehood”, writing: “Frankly, I find it disgusting that you have sought to politicise an occasion where the whole country rightly comes together to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our freedoms. You should withdraw this false claim now and apologise – not to me, but to the many veterans and their families.”

The shadow Scotland secretary responded to John Swinney on social media, writing: “Your letter has not answered my questions, John. Why did the Scottish Government account not acknowledge Remembrance Sunday but did post about a Sikh festival at precisely 11am?”.

Backing her up was Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who accused the Scottish Government of being “so desperate to look inclusive [that it] exposed its extraordinary cultural ignorance”. She added: “This is the poisonous consequence of politicians who see people as separate groups to be managed and patronised, rather than fellow citizens united by a common country and shared tradition.”

Meanwhile, the SNP’s head of digital, Ross Colquhoun, pointed out that the UK Government didn’t post about Remembrance Sunday on Facebook.

Some have pointed out that the difference is that the Scottish Government X account did post about other issues on the same day and specifically at 11am, during the minute silence. Others have suggested the difference in treatment to the celebrations – a post to mark Bandi Chorr Divas versus a repost, seen as less meaningful, about Remembrance Sunday – reflects the Scottish Government’s attitude towards the two occasions.

Ultimately, in an increasingly digitised age where social media has become a staple form of communication, this shows just how careful political parties and governments must be when engaging online.

STV News has contacted the Scottish Government for comment.