The Scottish Government, led by First Minister John Swinney and the SNP, is facing criticism for its social media activity on Remembrance Sunday. Critics allege that the government's official social media accounts failed to prominently acknowledge Remembrance Sunday, a day of national mourning for war dead, while posting about other events.
On Sunday, at 11 a.m., the time the United Kingdom observed a two-minute silence, the Scottish Government's social media channels reportedly posted messages about Bandi Chhor Divas, a Sikh festival. This timing has drawn particular ire from political opponents.
Harriet Cross, the shadow secretary of state for Scotland, stated that whoever manages the Scottish Government's X account has "serious questions to answer over their failure to mark Remembrance Sunday." She suggested the timing of the post about the Sikh festival was unlikely to be a coincidence and that the government could have recognized both events out of respect for the approximately 83,000 Sikhs who died fighting in World War I and World War II.
Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, echoed these sentiments, questioning the reaction of Sikhs who have served in the armed forces. He stated, "I wonder what the many brave Sikhs who serve and have served in our armed forces make of this."
While the X account reportedly did not mention Remembrance Sunday until later, the government did post on Facebook and Instagram that First Minister Swinney had laid a wreath in Edinburgh. This followed a military parade down Edinburgh's Royal Mile and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Stone of Remembrance.
In addition to the festival post, the government also promoted a taxpayer-funded trip to the Cop 31 summit by climate action secretary Gillian Martin, who was scheduled to represent Scotland. This occurred despite the presence of UK government ministers at the same summit.