ONE of Scotland’s most senior Government ministers has put out a call on social media after “abuse” at his constituency office.
Neil Gray, the SNP’s Energy Secretary and the MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, asked people not to come to his office without a prior appointment due to incidents with behaviour that “cannot be tolerated”.
Gray’s constituency office is based at Airdrie Business Centre, and the SNP MSP said that reception staff at the centre had been victims of abuse.
He wrote on Facebook: “There have been a couple of incidents here at Airdrie Business Centre where reception staff have been on the receiving end of abuse and this cannot be tolerated.
“Can I ask folk not to drop into Airdrie Business Centre to speak to me or my team unless you have an appointment or need to hand something in? Thank you.”
The news comes after another SNP MSP, David Torrance, saw his constituency office “targeted”.
CCTV images of an incident in March showed banners and posters which were anti-SNP and referred to the Gender Reform Recognition Bill being put up outside his office.
The MSP said it was the latest in a series of incidents dating back to the middle of 2022.
He pleaded with people to be "civil", suggesting the banners were making his staff feel unsafe.
He said: “Some of the messaging is not appropriate. You’ve got to remember, I’ve got staff working there all the time and I’ve got a duty of care to them.”
And SNP MSP Karen Adam contacted police in July of last year after discovering that the glass doors at her constituency office had been smashed.
Adam said that the vandalism had happened just two days after the soft-launch of her office on Chapel Street, Peterhead.
“Transphobic stickers at my office and now this. Shame on them. My staff deserve better. They deserve to feel safe,” she said.
