If the press don’t report the mob rule of Yes campaigners – they are professionally negligent

Just over a week ago I wrote a piece about the agressive, bullying tactics of some Yes campaigners, and the ugly impact this is having upon Scotland at the entire referendum campaign.

Today in Edinburgh I witnessed something worse still. The past 10 days have intensified the tensions here, and the tactics have grown worse. What I saw today wasn’t campaigning – it was the tactics of the mob.
​
There were plenty of press there – both print and media. If they don’t report the ugly scenes today as they unfolded they’re professionally negligent, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Ed Miliband was at a shopping centre in Central Edinburgh to speak briefly and do a walkabout. Despite having been arranged at short notice, there were Yes campaigners there shouting loudly. Whilst the Yes campaign may write this kind of thing off as a few rogue campaigners, this could only have been organised – considering the number of people there and how quickly they’d congregated.

After a few minutes, it was clear that Miliband would be speaking inside.

All hell broke loose.

Yes supporters started shouting and running inside, followed by No supporters. Pushing and shoving commenced. I saw an old lady knocked to one side and a mother yell as her pushchair was almost toppled. Yes campaigners shouted and yelled, attempting to drown out Miliband. To his credit, the Labour leader remained remarkably calm throughout, attempting to speak to shoppers and well wishers amid the rising din.

Eventually, Miliband left the shopping centre, and the mob dispersed. Were they happy to have drowned out an opponent with vitriol and malice? Were they pleased that the unwelcoming and aggressive image they send out to the world is one contrary to the Scotland I know and care about?

And how will this be reported by the press? This was no ordinary piece of hurly-burly. This was aggressive and visceral. This was organised, whipped up hatred. Now this is out of the box, it won’t return there come Friday. I fear the consequences for this great country either way.

And yet the press have been largely silent on the behaviour of the separatist boot boys. It’s not surprising to see why. The Yes campaign have turned on journalists who question their arguments, their tactics or their politicians. Scrutiny is the latest of their enemies. Scan the tweets I received for reporting this afternoon’s events to get a flavour of what those who speak out receive in return (not for the fearties amongst you).

But for the press there today to fail to report what happened, and which direction these vile tactics come from, is failing to do their job. If an organised mob chased politicians and sought to shout them down in Moscow, Tehran or Bagdad you’d expect it to be reported. But these tactics come to the streets of Edinburgh, and what do we hear? The silence of the complicit that encourages such actions to recur in future.

If that pattern of a cowed press failing to report the facts continues tomorrow, then our “brave and noble press” should be truly ashamed.