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Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned supporters of independence to stop abusing their opponents online.

Posting on her @NicolaSturgeon Twitter handle, she said "people who disagree are not anti-Scottish".

Her intervention appeared to have been prompted by unpleasant exchanges on social media following Scotland's defeat in the rugby World Cup.

Ms Sturgeon has previously tweeted her support for those attacked online.

The SNP leader's late-night message was posted after Australia narrowly beat Scotland with a controversial late penalty in their quarter-final head-to-head.

Ms Sturgeon did not make reference to any one tweet or tweeter.

However, in one strand the independence-supporting Wings Over Scotland writer, Stuart Campbell, published a tweet questioning the right of the author JK Rowling to support the Scotland team because she had helped fund the pro-Union Better Together campaign.

He in turn received abusive social media messages.

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Ms Sturgeon's full tweet read: "Note to my fellow independence supporters. People who disagree are not anti Scottish. Does our cause no good to hurl abuse (& it's wrong)."

She also re-tweeted Scottish crime writer Val McDermid who said in one of her postings: "I for one am proud to call @jk_rowling and @ArtyBagger [Muriel Gray] my fellow countrywomen."

At the weekend, in her speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Ms Sturgeon said her party "will respect those whose opinion differs from ours".