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Fury as Scottish Government ignores Remembrance Sunday on social media – but posts about Sikh festival at 11am as nation fell silent to honour war dead
The Scottish Government faced criticism for not marking Remembrance Sunday on its social media accounts at 11am, when people across the UK observed a two-minute silence for those killed in war. Its accounts instead posted about the Sikh festival Bandi Chhor Divas, prompting opposition politicians to question the timing and say both observances could have been acknowledged.
The government later posted on Facebook and Instagram that First Minister John Swinney had laid a wreath in Edinburgh, but had not mentioned Remembrance Sunday on X by 9am the next day. It also promoted Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin’s taxpayer-funded trip to the COP31 summit. At Edinburgh’s ceremony, a military parade marched down the Royal Mile and wreaths were laid at the Stone of Remembrance; the article cites 83,000 Sikhs killed while serving in the two World Wars.
In short
- Scottish Government accounts posted about Bandi Chhor Divas at 11am on Remembrance Sunday.
- Opposition politicians criticised the timing and the lack of an X post.
- Swinney later attended Edinburgh’s remembrance ceremony.
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The case for
The Scottish Government should acknowledge Remembrance Sunday at the time people are observing it, particularly given the public importance of commemorating those killed in war. A post about Bandi Chhor Divas at 11am, without a simultaneous remembrance message, could reasonably appear to give insufficient recognition to the occasion; posting later on some platforms may not fully address that concern.
The case against
The government may have intended to recognise both observances, and its later posts about the First Minister laying a wreath show that remembrance was not omitted entirely. Bandi Chhor Divas is also a significant Sikh festival, and the article notes that Sikhs served and died in the world wars; acknowledging it at 11am need not diminish remembrance, though the timing and uneven platform coverage can still be questioned.