''Friendly Fire'' is a poem written by James Michie. The poem was published in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' magazine in 2004. It called for the "extermination" of

Scottish people The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded ...

, though it has been described as satirical. As a result, it has been the subject of controversy, especially regarding

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

, who, as editor of ''The Spectator'' at the time, approved its publication.

Criticism

Upon the initial publication of the poem in 2004, Maureen Fraser, then director of the Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland, said:

We find this poem very offensive and the language is deeply inflammatory. It does nothing to promote race relations and undermines relations between Scotland and the rest of Britain, and our relationship with other countries. Some of the language, such as 'comprehensive extermination' and 'polluting our stock', is completely and utterly unacceptable. It cannot be tolerated.

In June 2019, the poem began circulating on the internet as a criticism of

for having

anti-Scottish prejudice Anti-Scottish sentiment is disdain, discrimination, or hatred for Scotland, the Scots or Scottish culture. It may also include the persecution or oppression of the Scottish people as an ethnic group, or nation. It can also be referred to as Sco ...

(with some incorrectly attributing Johnson as the author of the poem). The poem was raised in House of Commons by SNP MP Ian Blackford.

References

{{reflist 2004 poems The Spectator