A SCOTTISH charity has warned that families are being “cut off from essential support” as they are afraid to travel after an outbreak of racist violence in Glasgow earlier this week.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) issued a statement saying they were “deeply concerned” by the scenes in Glasgow on Tuesday night, stating that it was “unacceptable and has no place in Scotland”.
Worshippers at Glasgow’s largest mosque were locked in as violent tensions flared in the city following a stabbing in Northern Ireland.
The scenes were widely condemned by Scottish politicians as "absolutely appalling".
Positive Action in Housing, (PAiH) an anti-racism and homelessness charity, urged people in Scotland to “speak up” ahead of a rally set to take place in the city on Saturday in the wake of the far-right disorder.
OPFS said they were “heartbroken” by the “outbursts of racist disorder, violence and threats this week”.
“Families are being cut off from the essential support they need as many parents are telling us they are afraid to travel,” the charity said in a post on BlueSky.
“Many fear for their own safety and lives as well as the wider community. This situation must not be allowed to continue.
“The violence and racist abuse that has taken place this week is unacceptable and has no place in Scotland.”
The charity said they “stand in solidarity” with those impacted by the violent disorder, particularly “those in our community who are from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds”.
The charity added: “Whether you made your homes in Scotland decades ago or are newly arrived, we respect and support you. Everyone has the right to be safe. You belong here.”
Robina Qureshi, the chief executive of PAiH, said the charity condemns the “shameful scenes” in Glasgow when “people of colour were randomly, physically attacked by gangs of masked men dressed in black, meting out collective punishment and bringing racist pogroms to our streets”.
“Reform UK and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain will not condemn these racist gangs, you can be sure,” she said.
“Instead of focusing on the crime, they capitalise on those crimes committed by people of colour, immigrants or Muslims. That’s their specialism – targeting racial minorities.
“That is racism and it distracts ordinary people from seeing who is really draining the wealth of our society and destroying public services.”
Qureshi also criticised the media for allowing racism to spread and for emboldening the far-right.
“For decades now, every single day has felt like collective punishment for those of us who are minorities, Muslims or migrants,” she said.
“It has become normal for us to fear the headlines.
“Every day, on hate-filled front pages, entire communities can be branded guilty of one crime or another. It is open season for race-baiting. We feel it.
“Racists are platformed on news channels. Some news channels have themselves become right-wing platforms.
“There was a time when reputable media understood that you do not give oxygen to fascism.”
Qureshi added: “The far-right attacks we saw in Glasgow did not emerge from nowhere. They are the predictable consequence of decades of rhetoric that portrays people of colour as a problem to be feared rather than fellow human beings entitled to the same dignity, rights and protection as everyone else.
“It is time for good people to reveal themselves and speak up against this vile racism and stamp it out from public discourse, once and for all.”
