A "SCOTLAND Loves Europe" projection on the European commission HQ was paid for by the SNP, despite the party claiming the commission were behind it.

The symbol was beamed on to the Berlaymont building in Brussels on Friday and was widely shared by pro-Europeans, including prominent SNP figures such as Nicola Sturgeon.

2 The Europe loves Scotland projection was paid for by the SNP

Sturgeon tweeted: “The EU commission building in Brussels tonight (and if you look carefully you’ll see that they do appear to have left a light on for us).”

Peter Grant, the SNP's Treasury spokesman and former Europe spokesman at Westminster, attempted to claim the EU commission were behind it.

He said: "What a strange thing to do for a European commission that Labour and the Tories say doesn’t want Scotland back in.”

A spokesman from the commission refuted the claims, it had "not been “involved in the light projected on the Berlaymont”.

He said permission should have been sought, but had not been.

Edinburgh company Double Take Projections were hired for the stunt, and have not commented on the situation.

2 Peter Grant claimed the EU commission was behind it Credit: Corbis - Getty

An SNP spokesman has since admitted the party were responsible.

Kirsty Blackman, the party’s depute leader in the Commons, told Good Morning Scotland on the BBC she didn't know who had paid for the projection.

Maurice Golden, chief whip for the Scottish Conservatives, said: “This was nothing more than an SNP stunt.

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"It’s concerning to see elected representatives imply online that somehow the European commission were complicit with this, or had even orchestrated it.”

Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, said at the weekend that Brussels felt “empathy” for Scotland, supported it joining the EU and that he personally felt “very Scottish”. The Scottish government said it had not been involved in the display, meaning that no public money was used.

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