Nick Griffin's anti-immigration black men in kilts tweet backfires

A tweet sent by former BNP leader Nick Griffin designed to stir up hostility to the SNP's immigration policies has had the opposite effect.

In the wake of the debate between the leaders of the UK's five main political parties on Thursday, Griffin tweeted a picture of black men wearing kilts.

The tweet carried a quote from the SNP in defense of its open immigration policies, and a caption saying "Keep Scotland Scottish – say No to the SNP."

However, instead of rousing opposition to immigration to Scotland, scores of people have tweeted to express their support for a multicultural Scotland.

"I'd much rather the future of Scotland look like this than full of racists, bigots and fascists," tweeted one user.

Griffin's comments come following a surge in popularity for the SNP, whose leader Nicola Sturgeon was declared the winner of the televised live leaders debates in a snap YouGov poll.

Previously, Griffin has declared his intention to vote for anti-immigration Ukip, whose leader, Nigel Farage, clashed with Sturgeon in the debates after he suggested that foreign HIV patients were placing the NHS under excessive strain.

However, the photograph in Nick Griffin's tweet does not feature Scots, but members of La Sape: a community of men from the Democratic Republic of the Congo noted for their sharp fashion sense. The photo itself was taken from the book Gentlemen of Bacongo by Daniele Tamagni.