Gray Allan, UNISON Falkirk Council Branch
In Glasgow on Saturday November 29, around a thousand trade unionists and community activists marched against racism and the rise of the far-right. This was the Scottish Trades Union Congress St Andrews Day rally, always held on or near St Andrews Day every year.
The aim of the rally remains as it always has been – to demonstrate that Scotland is a welcoming and inclusive society for all, irrespective of race, creed, gender or disability. It has never been more pertinent than this year, plagued as it has been by anti-migrant demonstrations outside asylum seeker hostels or the sites of proposed hostels in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth and Falkirk
As reported here by The Ferret , a left-wing Scottish political web site, anti-migrant activists have been travelling around Scotland from protest to protest, which is laughable given their claim in Falkirk that counter protestors were “paid £80 a day” to turn up at the Cladhan Hotel and that they were “bussed in” from the cities.
They got their answer in Glasgow
On a cold but sunny November morning the STUC demo, led by trade union banners, made its way from the Barrowlands Park in the East End of Glasgow through the city centre to the Adelaide Baptist Church, Pitt Street, in Glasgow’s West End.
Marchers met with a friendly reception from passers-by. No counter demonstrators were seen. However, two middle-aged males from Falkirk’s “Save Our Families, save our Kids Futures” (SOFSOKF) shadowed the mostly female “Falkirk for All” contingent, videoing them continuously. They persisted all the way to Pitt Street where, upon being confronted by anti-racist demonstrators, they beat a retreat. As they left, they shouted threats of violence to anyone coming to the December 6 march in Falkirk.
The December 6 demo has been called by Falkirk for All (FFA) and leaflets for it have been widely distributed. The demo is in reaction to the persistent and increasingly threatening anti-migrant demonstrations outside the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk.
Speakers at the Glasgow rally included both First Minister of the Scottish Government, John Swinney, and Anas Sarwar, Leader of Scottish Labour. Swinney unequivocally called out the demonstrations outside asylum seeker accommodation as racist. Sarwar detailed the racist abuse he had suffered as a young man and was shocked to see it on the rise again. He called for unity among all parties in fighting the rise in racism and the extreme right. Which resulted in a heckle about Starmer and Gaza at the end of his speech!
Unity rally in Falkirk
The strongest speech by far was made by Councillor Laura Murtagh of Falkirk, a former SNP councillor who now sits as an independent on Falkirk Council. Laura was speaking for FFA and spelled out in detail the personal and racist abuse hurled at counter protestors every week by those mobilised by SOFSOKF. This has now escalated into threats of violence and actual violence at the end of demonstrations as the mainly female counter protestors leave. On Wednesday November 26 a punch was thrown. She gave details of the unity rally in Falkirk on December 6, called by anti-racists and urged as many as possible to support “Falkirk for All” on the day.
The broadcasting of the BBC documentary here “Disclosure, are migrants welcome here?” on Monday December 1, was a timely reminder of the threat, of the level of organisation of the anti-migrant protests, and the level of penetration by far-right and fascist groups such as “Homeland” “Britain First” and “Patriotic Alternative”
Scottish exceptionality
There has been for many years a common view in Scotland that the Scots are somehow “exceptional”, that they are much more left wing, more liberal than our neighbours south of the border. Recent events at asylum hostels have challenged that self-image as never before. There is a growing feeling within the movement and among those at the STUC rally that there is no longer any room for complacency. The threat posed by the far right is real. It is here on our streets and it must be resisted with every fibre of our being.
