144 anti-immigration protests have taken place in Scotland this year
Police said ‘new forms of protest have become evident’ in recent weeks
A total of 144 anti-immigration protests have taken place across Scotland since January, Police Scotland has said.
Falkirk accounted for 52 per cent of these, with almost all being located at the Cladhan asylum hotel.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said protests were having a “real impact” on policing.
It came as police condemned the “absolutely disgraceful” disorder in Glasgow over the weekend.
Violence erupted at Glasgow Green and around the city centre on Saturday during an anti-immigration rally that was met with anti-racism protesters.
READ MORE: 'Toxic' atmosphere at Glasgow Green as eyewitness spat on and kicked during anti-immigration protest
According to officers, 1,700 people took part in the protests, with 15 people arrested for offences including assault, possession of offensive weapons, breach of the peace, obstruction and resisting arrest.
Police said groups engaged in violence, disorder, intimidation and hate-motivated offences, including a large group of around 100 people who made their way into the city centre.
Speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) on Thursday, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Officers responded to absolutely disgraceful disorder, violence and intimidation, which in no way represents lawful protest and which had a significant impact on our communities, our businesses and our visitors.
“Public safety was our priority, and we responded and made arrests on the day. We have quickly established a really robust investigation, led by our major investigation team and we will take much more action to identify offenders and take them through the criminal justice system.”
A report presented to the SPA meeting on Thursday said 756 protests had been recorded since January, focused on various issues.
Anti-immigration protests took place in 19 towns and cities across Scotland, and a counter-protest was present at almost half of them.
The report said the protest landscape in Scotland “has developed considerably” over the past 12 months.
“Police Scotland is now responding to a range of issues, including frequent and repeat protests, tensions between protest groups, and incidents where criminality, including hate crime, is identified during protests,” it said.
“This is further compounded by the challenges posed by groups and individuals who have sought to exploit the increase in protest activity to justify or disguise overt criminality or those who seek to promote more extreme ideology under the guise of protest or legitimate reaction to world events.”
The report said “new forms of protest have become evident” in recent weeks.
“There have been several examples of spontaneous community mobilisation in response to incidents reported online or in conventional media, including allegations relating to criminal offences attributed by those protesting to individuals from the asylum seeker community, or cases where foreign national sex offenders have been identified publicly within communities,” it said.
“In some cases, reporting has been accurate; in others, activity has been driven by disinformation shared online.
“These protests have required a policing response and, in some cases, have resulted in hostility towards police, including the throwing of missiles and several arrests.
“There have also been protests, described as being ‘a silent vigil’, where individuals dressed in black have gathered in prominent public places and arranged themselves in ranks to carry out a wreath laying ceremony.
“These protests have been peaceful in nature and recorded before being shared widely online. They have however had significant community impact and will continue to be monitored and assessed.”
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