JOHN Swinney and Police Scotland have held a briefing with party leaders in Scotland following days of far-right violence in England and Northern Ireland.
The First Minister invited party leaders to the briefing at Bute House following speculation that similar riots could occur in Scotland.
Scottish Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie were in attendance alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish LibDems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.
Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross attended via video link.
Swinney also met with representatives of faith and refugee groups to show solidarity with their communities across the UK.
"My positive meetings today were intended to provide reassurance that this is a time for solidarity and that we are united in our opposition to anyone who would seek to use disorder to divide people," he said.
Police Scotland continues to engage with our communities to offer reassurance following violent disorder in other parts of the United Kingdom. Read the full story here: https://t.co/2K9mEuaHKu pic.twitter.com/0Yo8zYRHop
— Police Scotland (@PoliceScotland) August 7, 2024
“I have drawn together faith leaders from across communities in Scotland to express our solidarity together - we respect each other and we want everybody to be safe within our society.
“I have also brought together leaders of political parties in Scotland for a briefing with Police Scotland to enable the police to set out the work they are undertaking to keep people safe in Scotland, should we face any events of the type that we have seen in other parts of the United Kingdom.
“The displays of violence, prejudice and Islamophobia seen in other parts of the United Kingdom have no place in democratic society, and I want to reassure people in Scotland that we have plans and preparations in place to ensure everybody is kept safe.
“We are absolutely not complacent and remain vigilant. I am in regular contact with the Chief Constable who has reassured me that Police Scotland has the capability and resources in place to respond should we face the same challenges.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Police Scotland released a statement which said they had “no intelligence to suggest any protest is planned” after various charities in Glasgow closed their offices for the day.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell along with Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie assured the First Minister that the police force was continuing to monitor the potential of far-right violence breaking out in Scotland.
Farrell is also due to meet with community groups in Glasgow in a bid to offer reassurances about their safety.
Ritchie said: “We understand the concern and officers right across Scotland are providing reassurance to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and direct engagement
"We continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.
“Policing in Scotland has strong relationships with the public and we are grateful for the ongoing support of our communities.
"We are aware of a number of potential protests, and counter protests, over the coming weeks, which will be policed appropriately but we are not going to speculate on or add publicity to individual potential events.
"I would also encourage everyone to be responsible in their use of social media and not to share speculation or inaccurate information. Please think twice about what you read, share and believe from online sources.
“Violence and disorder is not legitimate protest and anyone who engages in disorder will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.
“Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by the appalling violence which has been experienced in some communities and with our brave colleagues in UK policing.
“We continue to be in close touch with other UK police services should requests for support be required.”
Speaking after the briefing, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said political conditions had created the climate for the scenes of violence witnessed over the past week.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government and Police Scotland for bringing the political parties together for this briefing,” he said.
“The far right threat has not been as prominent in Scotland as in some other parts of the UK over recent days, but there is no guarantee that this will continue and we have already been hearing concerns from communities and organisations being targeted with abuse and threats.
“While a coherent and informed police response is vital to help keep people safe, it is clearly not enough on its own.
“What the UK has been seeing is not simply criminality or mindless violence as some people have argued. It is driven by a deliberate, intentional far right movement, and the conditions which have made this possible are political - austerity, inequality, lack of hope in many parts of the country, and high profile voices in politics and the media telling people that immigrants, asylum seekers and Muslims are the cause of their problems.
“Since the causes of this crisis are political, so are the solutions. We must invest in communities, restore public services, redistribute wealth, and make it clear that refugees and other targeted groups are a valued and essential part of our society.
Earlier today, @lornaslater & I met with @ScotGovFM, @PoliceScotland and leaders of Scotland's political parties for a briefing following far-right violence in other parts of the UK. We are grateful for the briefing on the situation in Scotland. [1/7] pic.twitter.com/d9BG8MN5Lk
— Patrick Harvie 🇪🇺🌈 (@patrickharvie) August 7, 2024
“We will not allow racist and fascist forces to succeed, and we must work together to drive these toxic ideas from Scottish politics and society.”
Scottish LibDems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Welcomed the opportunity to meet with the First Minister, other party leaders and the leadership of @PoliceScotland at Bute House this afternoon to discuss contingency planning for civil unrest in Scotland.
“Heartened by the depth of intel outreach and preparedness by the police.”
