NICOLA Sturgeon believes a “bunch of racist thugs” who targeted a peaceful protest in Glasgow last night should face “the full force” of the law.
The strong words come as the Scottish Police Federation warned that when “politicians fail to condemn the actions of those who defy the law”, it make the job of officers “increasingly difficult”.
A group of far right protesters targeted a rally in support of housing rights for asylum seekers and refugees last night, with at least six people arrested by police.
Scottish Greens MSP Alison Johnstone raised the incident in Holyrood, saying her party “stand in solidarity with asylum seekers”.
She added: “We will support them in their efforts to make a better life for themselves and we utterly condemn the racist thugs whose behaviour in Glasgow’s George Square in recent days has appalled people across Scotland.”
Responding, the First Minister said the scenes in Glasgow were “horrifying and disgraceful” adding that “we should be pretty blunt about the cause of that”.
She added: “It was not people protecting statues or the cenotaph, it was a bunch of racist thugs seeking to pour out their vile prejudice against asylum seekers and refugees – it is not what Scotland is about.
“Welcoming refugees and asylum-seekers is part of who we are and we should stand against the scenes that we saw in Glasgow last night.
“Those who broke the law, in my view, should face the full force of it.”
When asked how Boris Johnson felt seeing the George Square violence last night, his spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has said repeatedly that people need to abide by the law. We have been clear and will remain so, that breaking of the law and committing violent acts is unacceptable."
The chief superintendent from Glasgow, Hazel Hendren, said that the “disgraceful scenes” seen in Glasgow are “completely unacceptable”.
She added: “Police Scotland will not tolerate this type of threat to public safety or the appalling physical and verbal abuse suffered by our officers.”
In a joint statement, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf and Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, said they are “completely appalled by the shameful scenes of racist thuggery”.
They added: “The First Minister has been crystal clear in supporting everyone’s right to protest, and we have consistently called on those wishing to make their voices heard at this time to consider alternative ways, such as the use of social media, to do this.
“However, the racist and thuggish behaviour we witnessed last night was not peaceful protest, it was organised violence and disorder designed to intimidate. There is no moral equivalence between those demanding equality and better support and services for asylum seekers and those intent on violence, racism and disorder.
“Our police officers have been at the front line of keeping us safe during this pandemic, to then face disorder as we witnessed last night is simply unacceptable.
"We have spoken to Police Scotland this morning, and we welcome their commitment to a robust and strong Policing response in the coming days. The message is clear, if you are involved in violence, racism and disorder you will face the full force of the law.”
But the body that represents rank and file police officers in Scotland, has warned that campaigners fighting for any cause is making their job more difficult – warning that “there was more condemnation of people going to Loch Lomond than there was of people attending any of the mass protests”, during the lockdown.
Scottish Police Federation chairman David Hamilton said: "When our politicians fail to condemn the actions of those who defy the law, we cannot be surprised that it is increasingly difficult for police officers to enforce the law.
"The public cannot expect the police service to turn a blind eye to those who break the law in the name of a particular cause whilst demanding different treatment for opponents."
He said events "over the weekends of June 6 and 13" - which saw Black Lives Matter protests and a gathering of people purporting to protect statues in Glasgow's George Square - and Wednesday night's disorder have "laid in tatters any suggestion that non-compliance with the coronavirus restrictions is a serious issue".
There was more condemnation of people going to Loch Lomond than there was of people attending any of the mass protests.
— David Hamilton (@DvdHmltn) June 18, 2020
As Police officers we mustnt morally judge a cause (regardless of our own views), we have to facilitate lawful protest and keep the public safe.
He said it is unacceptable for groups to gather "under the guise of any particular cause" during the pandemic.
"At the same time as a family is unable to have more than 10 people mourn the death of a loved one, hundreds (and thousands) are able to gather with impunity and without criticism, simply by carrying a banner or a placard," he said.
"There is no moral high ground to be claimed. Right or left; green or blue; unionist or nationalist; statue wrecker or statue protector, your side is as guilty as the other."
He said there is no "hierarchy of culpability" and there are "too many opposing factions who need no excuse to use a protest as an opportunity to cause disorder".
Mr Hamilton added: "Police officers should not be used as political pawns to advance or decry the actions of a particular group.
"The sooner our politicians decide what matters more, appeasement or the health of our nation, the sooner we can stop wasting valuable resources on the managing of illegal gatherings."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel