AIM Statement on Bigotry

Our movement is open, diverse, progressive, welcoming, and equitable. Alba candidates have voiced bigoted views against (amongst other groups) gypsy/traveller communities, trans people and gay people– no action has been taken, no investigations, no suspensions, nothing. Instead, the Alba party has chosen to either remain silent, or to even participate in this festival of bigotry. Aberdeen Independence Movement do not make recommendations on who you should or should not vote for, we’re an explicitly non-party political organisation, however, we do feel we have a moral duty to call out people who risk bringing our movement to a very dark place with their hatred.

It’s taken us a while to decide on what to say about the utterly disgraceful scenes playing out, we had been worried that we’d risk giving hateful people oxygen, that us making an intervention into this deeply ugly episode in Scottish politics would serve only to extend the reach of those who wish to marginalise, undermine, and otherwise harm people they designate as ‘other’. Ultimately, we have decided that on balance, the only option for anyone with a shred of decency when faced with utterly vile bigotry is to publicly call it out. Aberdeen Independence Movement will always stand against bigotry and those who spread it.