A Scottish solicitor has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £100 after he was accused of writing that Auschwitz was a “bit like” the Scottish town of Paisley “but without the social problems”.

The Law Society of Scotland imposed the penalties following an inquiry into Neil McPherson, 64, a criminal defence lawyer from Ayrshire.

He claimed the posts were fake, but the watchdog’s professional conduct committee found it was “more likely than not” that he had associated the concentration camp with the town of Paisley, which is often linked to crime and deprivation. Posted under another user’s Facebook picture of a visit to the camp, the message read: “Bit like Paisley but without the social problems.”

The compensation of £100 is to be paid to Arnon Nachmani, an Israeli lawyer who came across the comments eight months after they were posted in March 2020 and lodged a complaint.

Mr Nachmani, a Scot born in Paisley who lost family in the Holocaust, said he would be donating the money to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem. Mr McPherson did not respond to requests for comment.