Pro Scottish nationalism news website Wings Over Scotland had its Twitter account suspended and reinstated within a day with “no explanation” as to why, according to its author.
The move came after it criticised Daily Express journalist Siobhan McFayden who then came under widespread attack on Twitter.
Press Gazette understands McFayden plans to contact police over harassment and threats made to her on Twitter
News of the @WingsScotland account’s suspension yesterday was met with outcry from some journalists. It also saw its followers plummet from 47,000 to just 4,000 (though they have since been restored).
Former Scotland correspondent for the BBC, James Cook, said: “Even if you find @WingsScotland nasty, distasteful or wrong, his ban from Twitter without explanation is disturbing. #freespeech.”
STV politics and comment editor Stephen Daisley, added: “Don’t like @WingsScotland? Fine. Argue with him or ignore him. Don’t try to shut him up. It’s illiberal, the resort of bullies and cowards.”
Founder and author Stuart Campbell claimed in a blog post that his site’s suspension was the likely result of complaints to Twitter from McFayden, who he admitted targeting in tweets, including one that said: “What an utter disgrace @siobhanyc is.”
Campbell claims to have said this because he disputed facts in a story by the journalist, published on Saturday, that claimed Nicola Sturgeon was “teeing up the [Scottish] population for more outbreaks of violence and misery with her plans to hold a second referendum”.
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