SCOTTISH Tory MP Ross Thomson is facing accusations of hypocrisy and insensitivity after joking about Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during a visit to Baghdad.
Thomson posed for a picture by pretending to hold Hussein's infamous Victory Arch, and sat on his throne at the British embassy – with the Tory MP saying he was channeling his "inner dictator".
The Herald revealed that he made the posts on a private Facebook page, with a smiling face with sunglasses emoji accompanying the pictures.
Thomson wrote: “Another terrific day in Iraq. I was able to channel my inner dictator with a visit to Sadam’s [sic] military parade ground The Swords of Qadisiyah (Victory Arch) and then sitting on Saddam’s throne at the British embassy.”
Scottish Tory MP Ross Thomson posing in front of the Victory Arch in Baghdad
The Aberdeen South MP was accused of hypocrisy, with the social media posts coming at the same time as he was publicly condemning Bashar al-Assad over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Hussein massacred around 5000 people in the Kurdish town of Halabja with nerve agents and mustard gas dropped from aircraft.
The SNP said the Tory MP's behaviour was a "disgrace" and demanded action from the party.
Thomson said he had not intended to cause offence, and accused the SNP of playing politics.
He was joined on the fact-finding trip by Tory peer and director of the Scottish of the Scottish Conservatives Lord McInnes of Kilwinning, and former LibDem MSP Lord Purvis of Tweed.
Gillian Martin, the SNP MSP for Aberdeenshire East, said: “Any politician appearing to glorify or trivialise the heinous atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein and his regime should be ashamed of themselves.
“Saddam Hussein oversaw an effective genocide of hundreds of thousands of Kurds, summary executions of political prisoners, the use of rape as a political weapon, state-sanctioned bodily disfigurement of those who disagreed with him and chemical attacks against his own people.
“For a Tory MP to be so crass on this latter point this week of all weeks is beyond belief. Ross Thomson may try and pass this off as a piece of ill-judged buffoonery – but his behaviour is a disgrace.
“The Tories should take swift and appropriate action against Ross Thomson. Sitting idly by as one of their politicians treats the legacy of a brutal dictator as a joke would be completely unacceptable.”
Thomson said: “There is absolutely no intention whatsoever to cause offence.
“My views on Iraq and the value of UK intervention in the region are very clear.
“Britain and our allies liberated Iraqis from the prison that was life under Saddam. It was the right thing to do.
“I find it astonishing that Gillian Martin and the SNP, who refused to back UK action in the face of a heinous chemical weapon attack in Syria this week, want to make an issue of this. I would urge Ms Martin to visit the region herself and perhaps learn something about the Middle East.”
A Scottish Labour source said: “Even for a Scottish Conservative, this is deeply hypocritical.
“The people of Aberdeen South deserve better than an MP who engages in such distasteful behaviour.
“When he is finished committing cultural and political insensitivities abroad, he should explain to his constituents why Theresa May bypassed parliament to launch an attack on the sort of regime he privately appears to think is a subject for comedy.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel