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| Nigel Farage and Alex Salmond clash over protesters | Nigel Farage and Alex Salmond clash over protesters |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Alex Salmond has hit back at Nigel Farage, accusing him of touting "obnoxious" policies after the Ukip leader labelled Scottish protesters "yobbo, fascist scum". | Alex Salmond has hit back at Nigel Farage, accusing him of touting "obnoxious" policies after the Ukip leader labelled Scottish protesters "yobbo, fascist scum". |
| Farage was hounded out of Edinburgh city centre on Thursday by protesters. He was forced to take refuge under police protection in the Canon's Gait pub when around 50 demonstrators broke up a press conference, hurling abuse at him. | Farage was hounded out of Edinburgh city centre on Thursday by protesters. He was forced to take refuge under police protection in the Canon's Gait pub when around 50 demonstrators broke up a press conference, hurling abuse at him. |
| On Friday morning, Farage told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "If this is the face of Scottish nationalism, it's a pretty ugly picture. The anger, the hatred, the shouting, the snarling, the swearing was all linked in to a desire for the union jack to be burnt." | |
| He challenged Scottish first minister Salmond to condemn their actions. | He challenged Scottish first minister Salmond to condemn their actions. |
| But the Scottish National party leader told the BBC: "This is a man who doesn't like getting challenged because when the obnoxious views of his party are put to him then his bubble deflates very quickly and that is what we saw in his panicky interview this morning." | But the Scottish National party leader told the BBC: "This is a man who doesn't like getting challenged because when the obnoxious views of his party are put to him then his bubble deflates very quickly and that is what we saw in his panicky interview this morning." |
| The SNP said Farage had "lost the plot" by alleging the demonstrators were representative of Scottish nationalism or the wider independence movement, while Salmond said Farage was over-exaggerating the demonstration's significance. | The SNP said Farage had "lost the plot" by alleging the demonstrators were representative of Scottish nationalism or the wider independence movement, while Salmond said Farage was over-exaggerating the demonstration's significance. |
| Asked about Farage ending the radio interview, Salmond told the BBC: "We are dealing with someone who actually says on radio that the BBC are part of a hate campaign against him. Now it would be a great mistake to take somebody with that mentality with any degree of seriousness." | Asked about Farage ending the radio interview, Salmond told the BBC: "We are dealing with someone who actually says on radio that the BBC are part of a hate campaign against him. Now it would be a great mistake to take somebody with that mentality with any degree of seriousness." |
| Salmond added: "Yes we will have a political debate and discourse in a proper way in Scotland. We can frankly do without Ukip, who dislike everybody and know absolutely nothing about Scotland." | Salmond added: "Yes we will have a political debate and discourse in a proper way in Scotland. We can frankly do without Ukip, who dislike everybody and know absolutely nothing about Scotland." |
| When asked if he condemned the demonstration against Farage, the first minister said: "If there's been any law-breaking – and that's yet to be established – then obviously we condemn that, as we always do in Scotland, but you've got to get things into context. | When asked if he condemned the demonstration against Farage, the first minister said: "If there's been any law-breaking – and that's yet to be established – then obviously we condemn that, as we always do in Scotland, but you've got to get things into context. |
| "A student demonstration isn't the Dreyfus trial." | "A student demonstration isn't the Dreyfus trial." |
| The controversy escalated on Friday morning after Farage slammed the phone down on a BBC Scotland radio interviewer who challenged him on Ukip's political support in Scotland, and accused the BBC of being "hateful" and "insulting". | The controversy escalated on Friday morning after Farage slammed the phone down on a BBC Scotland radio interviewer who challenged him on Ukip's political support in Scotland, and accused the BBC of being "hateful" and "insulting". |
| Liam O'Hare, the Radical Independence Edinburgh organiser, denied his group were fascist or racist. "We're absolutely not. The people who demonstrated yesterday were internationalist. | Liam O'Hare, the Radical Independence Edinburgh organiser, denied his group were fascist or racist. "We're absolutely not. The people who demonstrated yesterday were internationalist. |
| "We opposed Nigel Farage coming because we believe in a society that welcomes immigrants, that welcomes people from all walks of life, wherever they come from, but doesn't welcome racists like Nigel Farage." | "We opposed Nigel Farage coming because we believe in a society that welcomes immigrants, that welcomes people from all walks of life, wherever they come from, but doesn't welcome racists like Nigel Farage." |
| The Ukip leader insisted he would return to Scotland to continue campaigning for the party's candidate, Otto Inglis, in the Aberdeen Donside byelection for the Scottish parliament on 20 June. | The Ukip leader insisted he would return to Scotland to continue campaigning for the party's candidate, Otto Inglis, in the Aberdeen Donside byelection for the Scottish parliament on 20 June. |
| Ukip has no elected representatives in Scotland. Its best election showing came at the 2009 European parliamentary elections when it saved its deposit by securing 5.2% of the vote: at Scottish and UK elections, it earns less than 1% of the vote and has no significant presence in Scottish politics. | Ukip has no elected representatives in Scotland. Its best election showing came at the 2009 European parliamentary elections when it saved its deposit by securing 5.2% of the vote: at Scottish and UK elections, it earns less than 1% of the vote and has no significant presence in Scottish politics. |