THE First Minister has held further talks with Police Scotland to receive an update on preparedness should any disorder emerge in Scotland over the weekend.
It comes as we told how Police Scotland will send more than 100 officers to Northern Ireland to help with riots in Belfast.
Far-right violence erupted in England and Northern Ireland in the wake of the stabbing of three young girls in Southport.
READ MORE: English riots gave me 'flashbacks' to being hunted by trafficking gang, says refugee in Scotland
It has not spread north of the Border although Police did issue a statement on Wednesday to say that they had “no intelligence” to suggest a march was to take place in George Square that day despite unverified social media reports claiming this to be the case.
John Swinney said: “The last few days have been a challenging and worrying time for many with the scenes of violence unfolding in other parts of the United Kingdom.
The First Minister’s written to X, TikTok and Meta urging them to tackle online hate@JohnSwinney says they’re not doing enough to combat the spread of misinformation
— Alan Smith (@Political_AlanS) August 9, 2024
He’s also had further talks with Police Scotland about preparedness for potential disorder here pic.twitter.com/Z3zH2GkXxv
“I would like to thank Police Scotland for their continued work to protect our communities. Their ongoing engagement across Scotland and enhanced patrols are vital to support community cohesion and ensure public safety.”
The First Minister visited Edinburgh Central Mosque earlier this week and has unequivocally condemned all forms of violence, prejudice and Islamophobia.
He has also written to Twitter/X, Meta and TikTok to ask what action they are taking to combat the spread of misinformation, and to address racist and hateful material on their platforms.
“We remain vigilant to the potential disorder in Scotland and I have been reassured by Police Scotland that it has the capability and resources in place to respond should we face similar challenges, and that plans and preparations are in place to ensure everybody is kept safe,” Swinney added.
“While officers and staff are doing their part to keep us all safe - there is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and each of us has a responsibility to confront racism and religious prejudice, including Islamophobia, wherever and whenever it appears, and do all we can to strengthen community cohesion.”
READ MORE: Why no far-right riots in Scotland? John Curtice gives verdict
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Officers right across Scotland continue to provide reassurance to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and direct engagement.
"You may see more officers in our towns and cities and we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel