Anas Sarwar admits 'guilt' over impact Farage abuse has on his children amid 'back to a dark place' warning
Anas Sarwar has warned society risks “going back to a dark place” amid the surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Anas Sarwar has admitted “guilt” at his children being put in his children being impacted by personal attacks from Nigel Farage as he warned Scotland risks “going back to a dark place” of prejudice and discrimination.
The Scottish Labour leader was speaking after the Reform UK leader launched an attack on Mr Sarwar, wrongly claiming he was prioritising the Pakistani community and falsely accusing him of “injecting” sectarianism into Scottish politics.
Mr Sarwar, alongside SNP leader John Swinney and Green and Lib Dem politicians have called out the misinformation from Mr Farage.
Speaking to journalists in Hamilton, Mr Sarwar said that it was “clear that Nigel Farage wants to enter his kind of poison into our politics”.
He added: “The guy clearly does not understand Scotland if he thinks a guy born in 1983 was one that introduced sectarianism into Scotland.
“I think this, sadly, is going to be a feature of our politics between now and next year. Farage and his like will want to question my loyalty, my belonging, my identity and at the same time I’m going to be campaigning to be first minister of the country.
“I think the vast majority of decent people in the country will absolutely reject that brand of politics.”
The Scottish Labour leader said that he “never thought I’d have to defend my identity”.
He said: “I love Scotland, I was born in Scotland, Scotland is my home, it’s my kids’ home - it’s the only place I call home.”
The Labour leader said once Mr Farage’s fleeting Scotland trip is over, “he’s not really going to care about what damage or impact he leaves behind”, adding that “people will reject that politics”.
He added: “It only motivates me and drives me and wants me to work even harder.”
Mr Sarwar was pressed over the impact on his family, having experienced similar abuse when his father was running to be the UK’s first Muslim MP.
He added: “I think that probably has added a resilience for me and therefore is pretty much water off a duck’s back.
“I think the challenge is where I feel a wee bit of guilt and a wee bit of trepidation is the impact it has on my kids.”
Mr Sarwar said that as a child “there were things that I accepted as normal that weren’t normal”.
He added: “Sadly there are things my kids are going to have to accept as normal that aren’t normal.
“There’s a bit of guilt that comes with that, but ultimately I’m doing it for them in the sense that I genuinely fear what the future of Scotland is unless we get a fundamental change.”
READ MORE: Two more Scottish councillors defect to Reform as Nigel Farage doubles down on 'sectarian' claims
Mr Sarwar pointed to a speech he gave in Westminster in 2011 when he “very naively said that I thought my children's generation had a chance of growing up in a world where people would see past the difference”.
He added: “I think there’s a real danger that we are going back to a dark place.
“The answer to it has to be the politics of hope and unity rather than the politics of despair and fear.”
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