KEZIA Dugdale has come under attack from EU nationals who say by voting against a second independence referendum Scottish Labour has cut off their main life line to remain in Scotland.

As a result members of the organisation EU Citizens for an Independent Scotland have called on voters not to back Dugdale’s party on June 8.

In a highly critical posting on Facebook, the group also attacked the message put out by the Better Together campaign ahead of the 2014 ballot that only a No vote would guarantee Scotland remaining in the EU.

“We were told that voting No was the only way to protect Scotland’s place in the EU, and that if Yes won, we would be deported back to our countries of origin,” it said.

“Some of us were even told that if Scotland became independent, the UK Government would not be able to or be required to pay the pensions we had contributed to through our taxes.

“Nine months is all it took to show the truth of such lies. On June 23 the UK voted Leave…or rather, England and Wales voted Leave.

“In the almost year since the vote, our lives have been spent in a constant haze of disbelief, anxiety, uncertainty and fear for the future.”

The group went on to say it had been given some hope by the Scottish Government after the EU referendum that it was looking to secure a special EU deal for Scotland, but that had now vanished.

It added that following the decision to vote against a second independence referendum, Labour had been exposed as “Unionists at any cost”.

“As you surely know, we cannot vote in UK General Elections. That leaves a great many of us, having faced the EU referendum, and now facing this General Election, disenfranchised,” it continued.

“These two votes are possibly the most impactful in our lives, and yet we had no voice in whether the UK maintained its relationship with the EU, and now have no voice in the manner in which the UK leaves the EU. So instead, we put our trust in our Scottish families, friends and communities to vote with consideration for us, and other non-UK/Irish/Commonwealth nationals on June 8. “But we are certainly not encouraging people to vote Labour. Conversely, the resounding support the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party have extended to our communities gave us hope, and filled us with energy and commitment to see Scotland become independent and take responsibility for its own relationship with the EU.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “It is incredibly disappointing that the divisions over the constitution has led to such a personal attack on the one political leader in Scotland who has consistently stood up for EU citizens.

“This debate deserves better than the factually inaccurate claims being made here. There are only two outcomes in this General Election: a Labour government that will guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK; or a Tory government intent on a hard Brexit.”

A Labour source added that the SNP had prevaricated on whether an independent Scotland would or could remain in the EU.

Some SNP figures have suggested an independent Scotland would not seek EU membership and instead apply to be a member of the European Economic Area, like Norway. However the First Minister has insisted she wants an independent Scotland to be a full EU member.

“I support Scotland being independent and being an independent member of the European Union,” she said at First Minister’s questions two weeks ago.