AN image of protesters wearing kilts to a Donald Trump march has sparked backlash on social media.
A picture uploaded to Twitter showed protesters in Florida as they kicked off a two-week March For Trump bus tour in the swing states he lost to Joe Biden.
They are shown wearing kilts made by American fashion company Verillas. Bosses at the firm said they were "digusted" to see the image of the Proud Boys – a far-right and male-only political group that promotes political violence in the US and Canada – wearing their garments.
They replied to the tweet saying they had donated $1000 to civil rights organisation National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
They said: "Disgusted to see members of "Proud Boys" a fascist terrorist org wearing our products. We're LGBTQIA+ owned, operated, designed and lived. We're against everything they stand for. I see $750 of our gear in the picture – I just gave $1000 to the NAACP to redirect hate to love."
Disgusted to see members of "Proud Boys" a fascist terrorist org wearing our products. We're LGBTQIA+ owned, operated, designed and lived. We're against everything they stand for. I see $750 of our gear in the picture - I just gave $1000 to the NAACP to redirect hate to love. pic.twitter.com/eMdwW8Azrj
— Verillas (@Verillas) December 12, 2020
Allister Greenbrier, owner of Verillas, told The National: "As a designer and entrepreneur of Scottish ancestry the support I've received from Scots around the world has been tremendous and I hope I've been able to do right by them with our actions. Love wins."
The tour will visit 18 states including the swing states of Wisconsin, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan which Trump lost to Joe Biden during the November 3rd election.
The image also sparked debate among Scots who questioned whether the demonstrators are wearing kilts or not.
Scottish lecturer and commentator James McEnaney said: "I'm Scottish. I wore a kilt at my wedding. These are skirts and you can tell them I said so."
I'm Scottish. I wore a kilt at my wedding. These are skirts and you can tell them I said so.
— James McEnaney (@MrMcEnaney) December 12, 2020
National columnist Paul Kavanagh (aka Wee Ginger Dug) described the protesters as "neo-fascists wearing frocks".
Scottish person here - Those aren't kilts - Those are neo-fascists wearing frocks
— Paul Kavanagh (@weegingerdug) December 13, 2020
Other Scots claimed kilts have to be tartan.
Kilts are tartan.
— Dr Malcolm Harvey (@MalcH) December 12, 2020
The Proud Boys are wearing skirts.
Which is fine, and if that's a choice they want to make, good on them.
But those are not kilts.
A kilt is made from tartan cloth. These are not kilts.
— Jonny Hallam (@Jonny_Hallam) December 13, 2020
They appear to be the pseudo Scottish version of Stryper. pic.twitter.com/1uAlOmST1N
— M Robinson Chavez (@mrchavezphoto) December 12, 2020
A Scottish kiltmaker told The National that whether the garments are kilts or not "doesn’t really have an exact answer".
He said: "The word kilt really just means a pleated skirt, so in effect all kilts are skirts. And all pleated skirts could be regarded as kilts. The Scottish definition of a kilt always used to mean tartan but that has changed in recent years with the advent of plain coloured kilts."
"The people who are saying it isn’t a kilt are wrong, it is a kilt," he added. "It isn’t what they think of as a kilt. It isn’t what I think of as a kilt. But fashions change over the years, so why shouldn’t the kilt adapt?"
But he went on to say that traditionally men's kilts will have pleats going from left to right and that the kilt worn by the men in the picture is made of a lighter material than standard kilts.
He pointed out that the Saffron kilt, which is a mustard yellow colour, has been worn in Ireland – a fellow Celtic country – for years. He also said the Greeks have probably worn fustenellas – their own version of a kilt – longer than Scots.
"I suppose what sets us apart is that we do it best," he went on. "It is our national dress and the fact that we have created an entire industry out of it shows what a great nation we are.
"We have taken a very basic idea, that all the clans had their own tartan, and made it into a multi-million pound industry.
"Whereas in reality this isn’t the case, as people back in the day didn’t have the luxury of making specific cloth for their garments – they used what they could get their hands on."
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