John Swinney accuses Reform UK of inciting racial division in Scotland

The First Minister said there is a “rising tide of the spread of hateful rhetoric”.

Tensions flared in Glasgow and Greenock this week following the stabbing attack in north Belfast on Monday night, with police saying members of the public were “attacked because of the colour of their skin” in Scotland’s biggest city.

Police officers have also been injured in clashes.

The issue was raised repeatedly during First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood on Thursday.

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“There is a rising tide of the spread of hateful rhetoric in our society and it is inciting people to behave in a reckless and aggressive and thuggish fashion in our society,” Mr Swinney said.

Malcolm Offord, the leader of Reform UK in Scotland, urged Mr Swinney to adjust local authority housing rules to “put local Scots first”, while also condemning the violent scenes in Scotland this week.

“Let me address the terrible riots we have seen in Belfast,” Lord Offord said.

“First to condemn the brutal and unprovoked attack on Stephen Ogilvie, second to echo his family in saying that violent protest is not the answer. Whatever is the problem, violence is not the answer.”

But he added there is “a very real problem with immigration”.

Sudanese man Hadi Alodid, 30, appeared in court on Wednesday charged over the Belfast knife attack, in which Mr Ogilvie is said to have lost an eye.

“Mr Offord is just fundamentally wrong in the point that he puts to me,” the First Minister responded, referring to the housing rules.

“But there is a deeper point that is exposed by the question that Mr Offord puts to me, and that is that Mr Offord is trying to pursue an issue on immigration at the same time as his party is associated with the stirring up of hatred within our society, and I just want to call it out for what it is.

“During the election campaign, I made it abundantly clear I would not cooperate with Reform in this parliament because of the way in which they pursue this issue, which incites racial hatred in our society.”

Mr Offord accused the First Minister of making “false accusations”.

Mr Swinney went on to criticise Lord Offord’s deputy in Holyrood, Thomas Kerr, who urged people to protest on Wednesday – but to remain peaceful.

The First Minister said: “At the same time I was making it abundantly clear that nobody in the current context – although they have got democratic rights – nobody should be out protesting last night, given the climate that we are in, Mr Kerr said people should get out and protest.

“What happened last night was in Greenock – a town very close to Mr Offord’s heart – I know that police officers were attacked, two officers sustained minor injuries and damage was caused to police vehicles as the police were simply doing their duty of protecting the citizens of our country.

“Mr Offord should condemn his colleague Thomas Kerr right now.”

The Reform leader refused to do this, adding: “Thomas Kerr was very, very clear yesterday in the interviews he gave that there was no line to cross into violence, but a right to protest remains valid.”

In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Mr Kerr had called for people to “go out and make your voice heard”, adding: “But do not vandalise, do not incite racism, and do not show violence.

“Because as soon as you do that, you play into the hands of John Swinney and of Keir Starmer, who did not want to speak about massive uncontrolled illegal migration.”

Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Swinney referenced the police statement which said members of the public were attacked in Glasgow “because of the colour of their skin”.

He added: “Members of the public will ask how on earth - and they say this to me when I’m out and about in the country - how has Scotland become like this?

“Well, Scotland has become like this because people over on that side of this chamber, Malcolm Offord, Thomas Kerr, various others, are inciting racial division in our society and this government will stand up to all of that.”

Speaking to journalists after First Minister’s Questions, Mr Kerr said Mr Swinney had taken his comments “out of context”, accusing the First Minister of trying to “turn this into a political bun fight”.

“When John Swinney did in there is exactly what I knew he was going to do, which is try and turn this into a political bun fight between us and him, rather than speak about the issue that really matters,” he said.

“Mass migration is pushing Scotland to breaking point. It’s pushing the UK to breaking point, and it is right that we are highlighting those issues.

“What John Swinney did in there was misquote me, take words out of context, and try and act as if I was trying to incite violence.

“All that I said when I was asked a question by the BBC was that you have the right to go out and protest if you want to protest.”

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said his party “wholeheartedly” condemned the violence and the “ugly scenes” in Glasgow.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The heat and the hate stoked by bad actors online and amplified by voices in this chamber do not reflect the welcoming and internationalist country that I recognise.

“If they seek to gain advantage by trying to divide the people of Scotland, then they underestimate the people of Scotland and they will fail.”