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IT WAS a happy, innocent picture.

Three kids, in blue T-shirts each emblazoned with a single letter that spelled out the word YES.

I knew their parents and granny, whose idea it was to make the T-shirts two years ago.

The mums jokingly called them yeslings – they were very cute. So when invited into a photograph with them at the weekend, I didn’t think twice. Selfies and politics go together like tea and toast these days.

I posted the picture on the social networking site Twitter. Then came the outpouring of bile.

“This is like Hitler Youth” screamed trolls, working themselves into a frenzy of hate. My timeline was sullied with image after image of Nazis and swastikas. “Where is your brown shirt?” said one.

The individuals behind these attacks are vehement supporters of the British state – albeit in extremis.

They tend to be right-wing, strongly pro-Brexit and anti-­immigrant. I notice that these people made similar Hitler Youth slurs on the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting Momentum movement when they launched a family wing last week.

But this happens in all political parties – the Tories had ­schoolchildren on their conference platform last year.

Labour, Lib Dem or Tory ­politicians talk about delivering ­leaflets as children – for some ­families, politics is part of the DNA.

The granny of the Yes children in my picture was herself taken out to campaign for Labour as a child. She wants her own grandchildren to have a better future.

It’s OK not to share the vision of an independent Scotland. It’s not OK to abuse and debase those who do.

(Image: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo)

Those who pilloried me and the children are a minority. They do not represent No voters. They are abusive unionist trolls, known as “yoons”, the equivalent of the derided “cybernats”.

But while “cybernats” are regularly the subject of condemnation from commentators and politicians, you hear little of the “yoons” – unless you are their victim.

No democratic party should be compared with the Nazis, who ­systematically exterminated millions of people in death factories.

The SNP are an inclusive party who have reached out to migrants and welcomed refugees. The SNP have strong support among ­Scotland’s Asian community and reached out to EU-born Scots after the referendum to tell them they are welcome here.

We have lots of English members. The independence movement is about building a better country for all who live in Scotland, regardless of where they or their families come from.

The term Nazi is also deeply offensive when applied to those who support the UK union.

They too are democrats. I ­unreservedly condemn the use of the word “quisling” to insult unionist politicians (Quisling was leader of occupied Norway in World War II).

But if quisling is wrong, so is comparing the SNP to fascists.

There is a deep double standard here. Online abuse comes from all sides and – as I can personally testify – is just as unpleasant for Yes supporters who are targeted by online bullies as it is for JK Rowling.

But a one-sided narrative has been built.

Anyone who cares to look will read misogynist, revolting online material directed at Nicola Sturgeon every day of the week.

She rises above it. It rarely makes headlines.

The First Minister has condemned abuse when it emanates from her own side (however marginalised the minority of cybernats might be).

But I have yet to hear a senior unionist politician condemn “yoon” trolls who throw Nazi smears at anyone who doesn’t share their narrow British nationalism – including blameless children.

It’s about time they did.