A charity supporting women and girls affected by sexual violence has reported receiving “vile abuse” from some individuals after turning down funding due to concerns about its source.
Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis recently rejected a fundraising offer from a community group called the Scottish Citizens Army (SCA), which had been planning to walk up Conic Hill in Loch Lomond for the charity.
In a social media post last Friday, the women’s branch of the SCA expressed disappointment at the charity’s decision, which it said was made due to “concerns about our wider public positions”.
“Where we have spoken about immigration, our concerns relate specifically to illegal immigration,” the group said.
“We do not target or campaign against people based on nationality, ethnicity, religion or background.”
SCA’s women’s branch added that its offer of support had not been political and that it had donated 15 essential care kits to the charity after some of its members had experienced sexual violence themselves.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis said: “Turning down funding is never easy, and this was not a decision we took lightly.
“But in good conscience, we could not accept money from a group that has supporters who link sexual violence to someone’s immigration status.”
In a separate post, the charity said it was “disappointed by the vile abuse we have received from some individuals” in relation to the funding decision.
“Intimidation and threats of violence against our staff will not be tolerated and will be immediately reported to the police,” it said.
