St Johnstone FC is looking into an incident involving midfielder Cammy MacPherson, who recently shared a post on social media from far-right figure Tommy Robinson.
The 25-year-old retweeted a video created by the founder of the English Defence League, where he repeats untrue allegations about a refugee, claims that resulted in a libel case loss for Robinson in 2021.
Club supporters expressed their outrage on social media, prompting MacPherson to delete the retweet and make his X profile private.
The BBC has reported that St Johnstone is aware of the situation and is handling it internally.
This incident comes amid recent violent disturbances involving far-right groups in various cities across England and Northern Ireland.
Law enforcement officers have sustained injuries, places of worship have been attacked, and businesses set ablaze, including a Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, near Rotherham, that housed over 200 asylum seekers.
The unrest began following a tragic knife attack that resulted in the deaths of three young girls during a dance class in Southport.
Robinson, whose true name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has recently announced plans for “pro-UK” rallies in cities like Glasgow next month, claiming “the British are rising”.
MacPherson reshared a post from Mr. Yaxley-Lennon dated July 27, just two nights before the stabbing, promoting his film as “Britain’s banned documentary”.
Supporters of St Johnstone were quick to express their disapproval.
One fan remarked on X, formerly Twitter: “When there are many good individuals at Saints striving to create an inclusive club, having your starting midfielder retweeting [expletive] Robinson is simply unacceptable.”
Another added: “Seeing Cammy MacPherson sharing toxic views from Tommy Robinson confirms the boy’s a total clown and a poor footballer; the sooner he’s out of the team, the better.”
Mr. Yaxley-Lennon, an anti-Islam activist, is currently the target of an arrest warrant after departing the country on the eve of a significant legal battle against him.
His Twitter account was suspended in 2018 when the platform accused him of violating its policies regarding hateful conduct.
Nonetheless, he was reinstated last year after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform.
Previously, former Twitter executive Bruce Daisley commented that Mr. Musk played a “largely responsible” role in bringing Robinson back onto the platform.
Daisley noted this has amplified Robinson’s influence, propelling him from the fringes of politics to becoming a prominent figure potentially inciting ongoing racial conflicts.
He concluded, “I think Elon Musk is playing a crucial role, making it quite difficult to restrict or regulate his actions at this moment.”
