A local protest group raising concerns over refugees has hit out at a far right body that hijacked its campaign. Organisers of the Erskine Against Asylum Hotel group is boycotting a protest rally on Sunday after the racist Patriotic Alternative group attempted to lead it.
The boycott came after the Daily Record contacted organisers and gave details of Patriotic Alternative’s racist and fascist beliefs. After considering the evidence, campaign organiser Kevin Stitt posted on the group’s Facebook page: “Over the last few days our organisers were contacted by a group called Patriotic Alternative (PA).
“The organiser for them asked to join and help our protest and campaign and showed us some positive results they had around the UK and the thought of having experienced protestors would be beneficial.
“However this was shortly followed by other organisations giving me detailed history of the less positives of the organisation and we were also approached by media outlets including national newspapers asking why we would associate ourselves with such a group. So we have decided to postpone our community protest this weekend as PA have all but taken over.”
Stitt adds: “There is an organisation who are pro-asylum and anti-PA coming to counter attack, as such. We want to completely separate ourselves from this. We will sit back this weekend and observe and let these groups with alternative motions have their day and we will get together very fast and resume our own peaceful campaign.”
Stitt said the local campaign is centred on anger over plans to bring 170 male asylum seekers to the MGM Muthu Glasgow River Hotel in Erskine, Renfrewshire, with no consultation with the local community. He said the community needs answers on who the men are and what their backgrounds are.
The Record told yesterday how the local campaign was hijacked by Patriotic Alternative. Scottish organiser Kenny Smith, a former BNP election candidate, posted on Facebook: “Patriotic Alternative are not here to hijack or piggy-back on to any local campaign. We will oppose this plan because it is the right thing to do.” He added: “We have banners, a platform, loudspeaker and leaflets already sorted.”
Patriotic Alternative Scotland caused outrage last year when they staged a gathering at a memorial bench dedicated to Kriss Donald, the 15-year-old who was murdered by Asian- Scots men in Glasgow in 2004. The extremists claimed to be defending “victims of anti-white violence” before unfurling a banner with Kriss’s face on it over the M8.
In November, Smith pleaded guilty to having excess ammunition after being issued with a firearms certificate in April. He was admonished at Portree Sheriff Court. Smith has confirmed that the demo will still take place on Sunday.
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