FAR-RIGHT violence erupted in England and Northern Ireland in the wake of the stabbing of three young girls in Southport on July 29.
It has not spread to Scotland yet, although the police were forced to release a statement on Wednesday to say that they had “no intelligence” to suggest a march was to take place in George Square that day despite unverified social media reports claiming this to be the case.
Refugee groups and the Muslim community across Scotland are still living in fear, with John Swinney visiting Edinburgh Central Mosque last week and unequivocally condemning all forms of violence, prejudice and Islamophobia.
The First Minister also held further talks with Police Scotland to receive an update on preparedness should any far-right disorder emerge in Scotland over the weekend.
But what far-right groups are even active in Scotland today?
Patriotic Alternative
Patriotic Alternative (PA) is a British far-right, fascist and neo-Nazi group which claims to have active branches all across the UK.
The group was widely condemned after unfurling a “White Lives Matter” banner at the top of Ben Nevis.
PA wants all non-white people removed from the UK, and was set up in 2019 by Mark Collett, formerly head of publicity for the British National Party (BNP).
A Ferret investigation previously outed members of PA as neo-Nazis, former members of the BNP and Scottish Defence League (SDL).
PA’s branch in Scotland was also described by The Ferret as the group’s “most active”, but appears to have splintered in 2023 with many of the members heading to found the Homeland Party.
Homeland Party
The Homeland Party attempts to downplay its extreme politics and cultivate a “squeaky clean media image”, according to advocacy group Hope Not Hate.
A registered political party since February, the group promotes a nationalism based on “ethnic, ancestral, and cultural unity” and advocates for a referendum on immigration.
Homeland also encourages officials to infiltrate parish and community councils.
Many of Homeland’s activists came from PA and some have been seen doing Hitler salutes, praising Nazi Germany and using extreme racial slurs.
The Ferret reported last year that Tayside-based James Munro of the now defunct neo-Nazi Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), has been active in Homeland.
Homeland also led a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Erskine – the Muthu River Hotel – last year, which later led to the Home Office seeking alternative accommodation.
Active Club Scotland
Active Club Scotland – which has been described as a “Fascist martial arts club” – launched in May 2023.
ACS was the first of its kind in the UK and aligned itself with the international Active Club network. First promoted in 2017 by American far-right activist Robert Rundo, there are Active Club chapters across the United States and worldwide.
The idea with the Active Club movement is to combine physical exercise with far-right beliefs, with members often pictured (faces blurred) training in martial arts and going on hikes.
The Scottish group is led by Scott Cowan, who has attended PA demonstrations and was also previously involved with other short-lived far-right groups like the Scottish Defence League.
Hope Not Hate told The National that ACS aims to build up a “capacity for violence” and be party of the “vanguard” of the fascist movement.
Unity News Network
The Unity News Network is one of the most popular sources of information for the far right in the UK.
This self-declared “news and grassroots information centre” is run by former Scottish Conservative and Labour councillor David Clews.
The channel was created in 2018, also with former leader of UKIP’s youth wing Carl Pearson.
UNN’s Facebook page has 105,000 followers and over 21,000 subscribers on Telegram, and has helped to actively spread misinformation about the far-right riots seen in England and Northern Ireland.
