Edinburgh Greens criticised for campaigning during Remembrance Day services
GREENS have been criticised for going campaigning during Remembrance Day services. The party posted tweets urging supporters in both Edinburgh West and Edinburgh North & Leith to meet at 11am on Sunday to “take our Green message out to voters”. North & Leith Tory candidate Iain McGill tweeted: “Each to their own, but today at 11.00 your Conservatives will be paying their respects at services across the city. The Greens? Not so much, not even a pause.” Other Twitter users commented: “Is this a joke?? 11am on Remembrance Sunday and you’re out campaigning” and “Zero respect”. Scott Arthur Labour councillor for Colinton/Fairmilehead, posted: “I guess people died fighting tyranny to give @EdinburghGreens the right to campaign whilst #RemembranceSunday services were running.” Edinburgh North & Leith Green candidate Steve Burgess claimed rivals were trying to politicise Remembrance Sunday. He said: "Across the city Greens were taking part in acts of remembrance in their communities and in their own fashion, as I have done over many years.
"In the case of my team, any engagement with the public was well after 11am and people in the area were perfectly happy to talk to us. I'd suggest that the only people trying to stir this up are doing so for purely political motives and that is totally disrespectful."
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Hide AdEdinburgh West Green candidate Elaine Gunn said: “I’m genuinely sorry if I offended anybody with my decision to campaign on Remembrance Sunday. My team and I waited until well past 11am, of course, to knock on our first door, and people in the area were perfectly happy to see us, but I can understand why some others might think that was the wrong decision.
"Engaging in Remembrance is a highly personal activity. My own thoughts are that the best way to honour those who fought and died in wars is through our commitment to seeking peace. I have no doubt that Greens across the city will have been observing Remembrance in their own way.”