ANTI-RACISM campaigners have declared 'victory' after a planned far-right event in Edinburgh was cancelled.
Unite the Clans (UTC) had been due to hold an anti-immigration demonstration outside the French Consulate on Saturday, September 26, with Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) organising a counter-protest in response.
The far-right group had called for France to be held accountable for “taking our money” and “letting the boats flood in”.
However, SUTR said it had been informed that the planned UTC demonstration in Edinburgh would no longer go ahead.
The anti-racism group said its demonstration would still take place, but would now become a “unity rally” at West Parliament Square outside St Giles' Cathedral from 11am on Saturday.
Rania Obead, a convener of Edinburgh and Lothians Stand Up to Racism, said: “This is a victory for everyone who champions diversity and rejects attempts to divide us.
“The far right thugs are running scared.
“They have retreated because after they were outnumbered 4000:500 in Glasgow and 1000:100 in Edinburgh in March, they know it's very difficult for them to make headway in the biggest cities thanks to anti-fascist resistance.”
Prominent figures within Unite the Clans have previously voiced support for Adolf Hitler, while a member of Patriotic Alternative has been pictured at one of its events with a banner featuring the neo-Nazi “Fourteen Words” slogan.
At a Unite the Clans rally in Glasgow in July, a group of demonstrators broke away from the protest and were filmed shouting abuse, with a traffic cone thrown at a delivery driver.
SUTR said Unite the Clans had now switched its attention to Aberdeen, where plans to accommodate up to 149 asylum seekers at a property on St Peter Street have sparked a political row.
The anti-racism group also criticised Aberdeen South Conservative MP Douglas Lumsden over his opposition to the plans.
Lumsden has suggested that the proposal could take Aberdeen above its agreed allocation for asylum accommodation and place additional pressure on housing and public services.
Obead accused the MP of “emboldening the far right” and rejected his arguments over pressure on public services.
She said: “We reject the lie that immigration threatens our services. On the contrary, what state does Mr Lumsden think our National Health Service would be in if it wasn't for people coming from all over the world to work in it?
“We condemn the MP’s description of Aberdeen being treated like a ‘hotel’ for asylum seekers. Seeking refuge is a fundamental right and people deserve to be treated with respect and housed within our communities.”
She added: “Rather than finding ways of helping all the people in his constituency, of finding solutions to the housing and cost of living crisis, Lumsden shamefully chooses to indulge in a racist culture war, scapegoating and fear mongering the most vulnerable people in society.”
SUTR said Saturday’s event would go ahead as a celebration of successfully deterring the far-right demonstration.
Campaigners are being encouraged to bring banners and placards to the rally, which will begin at 11am.
The group said it would use the demonstration to send a message that “Edinburgh won't tolerate hate”, “refugees are welcome here” and “we won't let the racists divide us”.
