Fears have been raised that the violent disorder which has erupted in parts of England could spread to Scotland.
Anti-racism campaigners urged their members to gather in Paisley on Friday evening reports a mob was preparing to gather at a building in the town.
Posting on social media site TikTok, an account named the Scottish Defence Group – which had around 2,300 followers but has now been deleted – told people in the town to attend a “peaceful protest about hundreds of illegal fighting age men being housed in our communities that are a danger to our children”.
The post drew alarm from activists Stand Up to Racism, who have vowed to hold a counter-protest.
The Scottish Defence Group account also called for similar events in Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Glasgow and Greenock for this weekend, it is reported.
The post had been viewed more than 50,000 times, the Daily Record said.
In response, Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) has organised a counter-protest to show solidarity with those they feel are being targeted by the Scottish Defence Group.
A Renfrewshire activist from SUTR said: “The level of violence against refugees and Muslims across England over the last week is highly concerning. Racist groups have attempted to stir up trouble in Renfrewshire before, targeting a hotel in Erskine that housed refugees, and saw weekly demonstrations by those calling for refugees inside the hotel to be removed and counter protestors turning up in response.
“We have already seen attempts by fascist groups to attack refugees in Erskine and we don’t want that replicated in Paisley.”
The activist added: “I think people should be worried that the scenes in England may happen here. We are not immune to the far-right influence.”
Stand Up To Racism members in Paisley have called this important protest against the far right
— Stand Up to Racism - Scotland (@SUTRScotland) August 5, 2024
We say ##NaePasaran #RefugeesWelcome
Please share widely pic.twitter.com/12qtaX3fLr
SUTR members will be present from 5.30pm at the Watermill Hotel, with the activist adding: “We will have a positive and peaceful counter-protest to stop racists attacking those in the hotel.
“In Paisley where far-right plan to target hotel on Friday, oppose them & defend refugees.”
SUTR has also planned a series of Anti-Racism Day rallies in Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh on Saturday.
Unrest began following the murders of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside. Inaccurate social media posts blamed a Muslim asylum seeker for the killings.
More than 400 people have been arrested after disorder around England and Northern Ireland, according to police sources, with the number expected to rise in the coming days.
Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Johanna Baxter said she had spoken with police and reached out to faith leaders and vulnerable groups.
She added that “violent thuggery” designed to divide communities had no place on the streets or online.
“I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen over the course of recent days in other parts of the country,” she said.
“We all have a responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to reduce tensions, build a politics that is inclusive and to pull our country together to ensure hate will not win.”
READ MORE: FM warns of 'unhelpful speculation' over woman's stabbing
READ MORE: Murray writes to Scotland's religious leaders over riot concerns
UK Government Scottish secretary Ian Murray said the “hate-fuelled violence and thuggery” is “unacceptable and intolerable” as he calmed fears of any such unrest happening in Scotland. He said he was “reassured that Police Scotland do not have any specific intelligence that disorder is likely in Scotland at this point”.
Policing and law and order is a devolved matter and under the jurisdiction of the Scottish Government. Police Scotland would not confirm if any special measures will be employed in Paisley on Friday.
Assistant chief constable Gary Ritchie said: “We understand the violent disorder in other parts of the United Kingdom is causing concern and we are providing reassurance to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and direct engagement.”
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