An anti-immigration protest group in Falkirk has announced it is disbanding after members of fascist and neo-Nazi groups repeatedly attended demonstrations it organised, amid wider concerns about an escalation in far-right activity across Scotland.
The campaign group Save Our Future and Our Kids Future (SOF) had staged regular protests for more than a year outside the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk, which houses asylum seekers.
However, the demonstrations increasingly attracted far-right groups, including Patriotic Alternative and the Homeland Party.
In particular, Patriotic Alternative’s Robert McFarlane has appeared to play a leading role, and has spoken at many of the protests.
On one occasion he was joined on the platform by Claire Mackie-Brown, Reform UK Falkirk councillor for the Upper Braes.
Now, in a statement posted on social media, SOF has announced that all protests outside the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk had been cancelled after others invited what it described as “racist groups” to attend.
The group said it would not “associate with or tolerate” the views promoted by PA and the Homeland Party, including calls for the removal of Black, mixed-race or other non-white people from the UK.
Beyond protest
The statement said: “This has gone far beyond protesting a hotel and failed immigration policies, and into territory that will only damage communities, discredit legitimate concerns, and hand authorities the excuse to shut protests down altogether.
“Because of this, SOF will no longer attend any Cladhan Hotel protests.
“There will be one final update posted in the coming days, after which this page will be shut down permanently.
Concerns about far-right mobilisation in Scotland increased recently after an anti-immigration protest in Perth on 10 January.
The demonstration, organised locally under the banner of Perth’s Peaceful Protest, was joined by a number of other Scottish far-right groups, including Falkirk’s Save Our Future and Our Kids Future, Dundee Patriots and Aberdeen Against Illegal Immigration.
Stormed hotel
During the protest, a group broke away from the main demonstration and stormed the hotel accommodating asylum seekers, catching police unawares. The incident a significant escalation in anti-immigration action in the city.
The events in Perth led First Minister John Swinney to publicly state that the Scottish Government was willing to consider the introduction of buffer zones around hotels housing asylum seekers, in order to prevent intimidation and violence.
