Nigel Farage has accused Scottish First Minister John Swinney of being "inciteful" after the SNP leader renewed his attack against the Reform UK leader ahead of Thursday's crunch by-election in Hamilton.
Farage and Swinney have traded barbs in recent weeks as voters in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse prepare to go the polls - even agreeing to a televised debate north of the border.
Reform UK and the SNP believe the contest is a two-way fight, with Labour supposedly falling into a dismal third place.
However, Swinney's criticisms of Farage stem from Reform's alleged "racist" advert against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Anti-Reform UK protesters gather in Aberdeen
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Speaking from his press conference in Aberdeen, Farage swatted away the allegations and accepted Swinney and Sarwar's invitations for a televised debate.
The Reform UK leader said: "The more they insult me, the more I know we must be doing something right. I think they're in a blind state of panic. They're chucking around all sorts of insults.
"I thought the First Minister yesterday was, quite frankly, inciteful. But, for today, I will not return the compliment. We will let the public make their own minds up. I'm not going to get involved in a war of words."
He added: “To be frank... Mr Sarwar has a record of obsessing on this issue. There was the famous speech that he gave in the Scottish Parliament saying, why is the judiciary white? Why are, you know, these leading figures in Scotland white? It was the most extraordinary speech given the statistics and figures here.
“Actually, I think that speech that he gave was sectarian in its very nature - you know, we are the South Asian community, we are going to take over the country and take over the world.”
Farage's comments came after a group of anti-Reform protesters gathered in the Granite City ahead of the Clacton MP's landmark statement.
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John SwinneyPAAnti-Reform UK banners were unfurled by around a dozen protesters, including one which stated: “Farage not welcome in Scotland.”
Protesters also chanted: “Let in every refugee, throw Farage in the sea.”
“Farage, Farage we know you, you’re a racist through and through," the demonstrators added.
Two police officers arrived at the scene as the chants began but decided not to take further action.
Farage's visit to Scotland, which will include a stop-off in Hamilton, comes just hours after Swinney accused Reform of posing a threat to democracy.
Nigel Farage hit out at John Swinney's 'ridiculous' commentsGB NewsThe Scottish First Minister said: “Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour – who have given up in this campaign – and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage.
“Be in no doubt, Nigel Farage doesn’t care about Scotland. He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that.
“In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland’s future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.”
In an exclusive interview with GB News, Farage warned his rivals were making "mistakes" by "lashing out" at him.
He told the People's Channel: "They're lashing out at me left, right and centre because they're scared. And they're scared because the Reform vote is on the rise. They're scared because we're prepared to take on the failed consensus."
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