A Perth campaign group is looking to rally hundreds of people to form a mass protest at the upcoming Conservative Party leadership hustings in the Fair City.
Perth Against Racism (PAR) wants to form an “all-Scotland festival of opposition to the Tory party” including its treatment of refugees and asylum seekers and has created a Facebook page in an effort to gather support.
Perth is to be the only Scotland setting to host the leadership debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss as the race to become the new party leader and prime minister gathers pace.
The former chancellor and the foreign secretary will take part in the event on Tuesday, August 16, with a venue yet to be announced.
The first hustings took place in Leeds last month with the two candidates now taking on a geographical circuit of the UK.
The winner will be announced on September 5 after a postal ballot, completed by around 160,000 Tory party members.
But Perth Against Racism is calling on “the public, trade unions, anti-racist organisations” to support the local protest.
A statement from PAR said: “On August 16, 2022 the only Tory hustings in Scotland will take place in Perth.
“That evening Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will come to the Fair City to compete over how they will defend the interests of big business and privilege by attacking workers, trade unionists, refugees/asylum seekers and pensioners among others and drive down living, moral and social standards; breach international law and abuse internationally accepted human rights.
“We are in a cost-of-living crisis and a crisis of morality defined by the appalling way the British Government is treating refugees and asylum seekers – a crisis that reached its peak recently with the attempted deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda.
“Perth Against Racism has had enough and asks all those others who have had enough to join them in protest at the Tory hustings from 5pm.
“The venue of the Tory gathering is still to be finalised, but we believe it is likely to be Perth Concert Hall, as it was last time.
“We will update on the venue once we know.
“This is a call to join Perth Against Racism in protesting at the hustings.
“It is early days, but we have speakers coming from the CWU, UNITE, refugee and asylum seeker groups and are keen to have more.
“Please pass on to your members and let us ensure Sunak and Truss hear our voices.
“Enough is Enough.”
PAR also added that its members will be collecting donations for Perth Food Bank on the day.
Pro-independence campaign group All Under One Banner also announced plans to hold a demonstration outside the locus.
A similar protest was held at Perth Concert Hall when Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt took part in a leadership hustings in 2019.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said in response: “It is disappointing that this extreme left-wing group is looking to bus people into Perth to try and disrupt the Conservative Party leadership hustings next week.
“In a free and open liberal society everyone does have a right to protest, but it is also vital that Conservative Party members have the opportunity to hear and question the two candidates to be prime minister without interruption.
“I am sure that the police will be able to manage the protestors on the day, but this does divert vital resources away from preventing and detecting crime elsewhere.”
