The Evening Express in Aberdeen has been accused in the Scottish Parliament of stirring up racial tensions against Travellers.

Ali Jarvis, of the Commission for Racial Equality, told MSPs that a campaign by the newspaper - which calls for a clamp down on illegal behaviour by some Travellers - was "unremittingly negative".

She also claimed the paper's coverage was not based on readers' complaints about littering and anti-social behaviour and told the Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee that the "gypsy Traveller group" was the most vilified in Scotland.

She said: "We genuinely have fears that this drip, drip coverage, which could be termed harrassment, will lead to some kind of backlash that will end up in quite a serious and significant incident."

In its defence, the newspaper has reported that Aberdeen City Council had received eight complaints about Travellers in 2004 and three this year, and Aberdeenshire Council had received 38 complaints last year and four this year.

And in the paper's editorial column, editor Donald Martin said that, rather than stirring up racial tensions, the paper was campaigning for equality for all.

He said: "Our coverage of the Travellers issue has been just that ... a call for everyone to be treated equally under the law.

"For the Commission for Racial Equality to accuse us of acting in any other way is shameful."

Politicians from the four main parties have also spoken out in support of the Evening Express, saying that the newspaper was reflecting the concerns of its readers.

North-east Labour MSP Richard Baker said: "It's naive to say the Evening Express has created these concerns.

"(Political) representatives at every level have had these concerns as well."