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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| English town to burn Alex Salmond effigy | English town to burn Alex Salmond effigy |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Scottish government has criticised plans to burn an effigy of Alex Salmond during bonfire night celebrations in an English town. | The Scottish government has criticised plans to burn an effigy of Alex Salmond during bonfire night celebrations in an English town. |
| Thousands of people are expected to converge on the East Sussex town of Lewes to see the effigy of the Scottish first minister set alight on a bonfire. | Thousands of people are expected to converge on the East Sussex town of Lewes to see the effigy of the Scottish first minister set alight on a bonfire. |
| A spokesman for the first minister said it was a "typical Tory attitude to Scotland". | A spokesman for the first minister said it was a "typical Tory attitude to Scotland". |
| A number of other "celebrity guys" will also be burned in the annual event. | A number of other "celebrity guys" will also be burned in the annual event. |
| East Sussex County Council faced an immediate backlash on Twitter after tweeting a picture of Mr Salmond's effigy, complete with a "Yes" badge, a sign saying "45%" and the Loch Ness monster looking over his shoulder. | |
| One Twitter user responded: "Can you imagine the uproar amongst Better Together campaigners had Yes supporters burned an effigy of David Cameron?" | One Twitter user responded: "Can you imagine the uproar amongst Better Together campaigners had Yes supporters burned an effigy of David Cameron?" |
| Others posted the council's switchboard telephone number, and urged people to complain. | Others posted the council's switchboard telephone number, and urged people to complain. |
| The council later clarified: "Please note that the Alex Salmond and Nessie models were created by Waterloo Bonfire Society #LewesBonfire and have NO connection to ESCC". The original tweet was removed. | |
| 'Poor Nessie' | 'Poor Nessie' |
| But a spokesman for the first minister said: "The Tory-controlled East Sussex County Council obviously view the first minister - and the 45% of Scots who voted Yes - as as big a threat to the Westminster establishment as Guy Fawkes, although it's unclear why poor Nessie has been targeted. | But a spokesman for the first minister said: "The Tory-controlled East Sussex County Council obviously view the first minister - and the 45% of Scots who voted Yes - as as big a threat to the Westminster establishment as Guy Fawkes, although it's unclear why poor Nessie has been targeted. |
| "It's a typical Tory attitude to Scotland, whether north or south of the border." | "It's a typical Tory attitude to Scotland, whether north or south of the border." |
| Kevin Pringle, the SNP's strategic communications director, tweeted: "Tory @EastSussexCC promoting burning effigy of @AlexSalmond & sign of the 45% who voted #Yes does @RuthDavidsonMSP no favours. #LewesBonfire" | Kevin Pringle, the SNP's strategic communications director, tweeted: "Tory @EastSussexCC promoting burning effigy of @AlexSalmond & sign of the 45% who voted #Yes does @RuthDavidsonMSP no favours. #LewesBonfire" |
| Ms Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, responded: "Funny they never gave a squeak when a David Cameron effigy was burned two years ago." | Ms Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, responded: "Funny they never gave a squeak when a David Cameron effigy was burned two years ago." |
| However, Ms Davidson said she found the event "distasteful". | However, Ms Davidson said she found the event "distasteful". |
| The Waterloo Bonfire Society is one of six which parade through the town every year. The societies all have their traditions, costumes, fire sites and fireworks. | The Waterloo Bonfire Society is one of six which parade through the town every year. The societies all have their traditions, costumes, fire sites and fireworks. |
| An effigy of David Cameron holding a "puppet Nick Clegg" was burned in Lewes in 2010. Other effigies in previous years have included Osama Bin Laden. | |
| The event is said to be one of the largest bonfire celebrations in the UK, with 30,000 people attending last year. | The event is said to be one of the largest bonfire celebrations in the UK, with 30,000 people attending last year. |
| Elsewhere, an effigy of former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will be burned in the Kent town of Edenbridge |