Shocking graffiti has been daubed on the side of the Falkirk Wheel, following a similar incident at a monument to Robert the Bruce earlier today.

The graffiti, which appeared this morning, reads: “Hang the white man. Black Lives Matter”.

A spokesperson for Scottish Canals said: “We were disappointed when new graffiti appeared on The Falkirk Wheel late last night.

Shocking graffiti has been daubed on the side of the Falkirk Wheel, following a similar incident at a monument to Robert the Bruce earlier today. (Credit: Tam Neil)

“Our team was quickly mobilised to paint over this vandalism in the usual manner and it will be removed as soon as possible.”

There is no evidence that the vandalism was carried out by Black Lives Matter protesters.

Assistant Chief Constable Kenny MacDonald of Police Scotland said: "I am aware that vandalism of a small number of monuments and statues has taken place in recent days.

“Such action is criminal and will be fully investigated.”

It follows an earlier incident when a statue of Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn heritage centre near Stirling was also vandalised.

Writing sprayed onto the stone rotunda at the Stirlingshire site reads: “Robert was a racist, bring down the statue.”

While graffiti on the plinth that supports the statue of King Robert says: “Racist King. BLM. Black Lives Matter.”

The graffiti is understood to have appeared late last night, after one local dog walker said the writing was not present when he passed the monument at 11pm.

Stuart Maxwell, General Manager for Edinburgh & East at the National Trust for Scotland, said: “We are very disappointed by the vandalism of the iconic Bruce statue at Bannockburn and the A listed rotunda.

“This comes at a time when our charity is suffering serious financial hardship and this is a cost we could do without.”

The NTS is facing a £28 million hole in its finances this year, prompting the charity to launch a fundraising campaign to keep its sites open in future.

Last week, Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol toppled a statue of the prominent slave trader Edward Colston, which had stood in the city centre since 1985.

The incident, which saw the bronze statue tossed into the River Avon, sparked wider debate over the status of public memorials to racist historical figures across the UK.

In London, authorities in Tower Hamlets removed a statue of the Scottish plantation owner Robert Milligan from its position outside the East India Quays museum.

And in Edinburgh, a the St Andrew’s Square statue of Henry Dundas, a Tory politician who lobbied to delay the abolition of slavery, has been at the centre of debates around the city’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

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‘Hang the White Man’: Graffiti appears on side of Falkirk Wheel