Part of an ad for the Caledonian Darkness festival. Photo: Facebook.

“Third Reich imagery” — including a swastika — was scrawled in pig’s blood on the walls of the dressing room of a Scottish event space last weekend, STV News reported.

According to the report, it is believed the act of vandalism was committed by musicians who had been informed they would not receive payment for taking part in the Caledonian Darkness festival at the Classic Grand venue.

The pig’s blood was on site as a prop to be used in shows put on by the Pseudogod, Sortilegia and Ifrinn bands, the report said.

Oracular Phantasm — the group that promoted the festival — said in a statement: “Freedom of speech or whatever here is irrelevant. This act was extremely disrespectful to the venue who worked tireless [sic] with us to ensure a favourable outcome in the end and in the event of not selling enough tickets to cover hire, were extremely accommodating. With the cost of things like flights absolutely through the roof due to factors such as the value of the pound fluctuating as a result of the so-called ‘Brexit’ referendum, the festival really struggled to stay on budget. This was made harder with lack of sales.”

The Classic Grand said in a statement: “When certain acts discovered they were not going to be paid by the promoter, some took it upon themselves to challenge them/refuse to play etc. Several, unnamed, bands then decided to cause severe damage to the venue. Which has resulted in a four-figure repair bill. To ensure everyone’s safety, the promoter decided to cut short the event, a decision which The Classic Grand agreed with.”