People are sharing this National newspaper front page welcoming refugees to Scotland

The first refugees arrive in Scotland today

The first refugees are arriving in Scotland today (Getty Images)

A newspaper front page welcoming refugees to Scotland has proved popular with users of social media.

The independence-supporting paper The National ran its Tuesday front page with the headline “Welcome to Scotland”.

The welcome comes as the first people to be given refuge from camps near the Syrian border arrive in Scotland today.

An image of the newspaper front page was shared around 1,500 times from the newspaper’s main Twitter account and a further 900 times on its Facebook page.

Speaking on Monday First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asked Scots to show tolerance to the people who would arrive in the coming days.

“We are due to welcome Syrian refugees to Scotland tomorrow and we need to show that we are a country of compassion and acceptance,” she said.

“These people are fleeing their homes in the search for protection and security, and we are their refuge. We cannot let the actions of the few destroy the safety of the many.”

The UK has pledged to take around 4,000 refugees a year, a much smaller contribution than many other western European countries.

Germany’s vice chancellor has said the country is expecting around a million people to arrive this year.

Britain has also refused to take part in an EU quota scheme to redistribute hundreds of thousands of people who have already arrived and are in over-burdened southern European countries.

The EU’s European Commission says around three million people are expected to arrive in Europe by the end of 2016.