Police Scotland is investigating a hate crime after a group of young Muslim boys were allegedly racially abused and chased through a street in Glasgow's Pollokshields area. The incident occurred on Kenmure Street at around 7:25pm on Thursday, July 2, 2026, when a man reportedly shouted racist slurs, including telling the boys to "go back to your own country."
Details of the Incident
According to community activist Tabassum Niamat, who shared a video on social media, the man chased the boys while they were riding their bikes, directing racist abuse at them before targeting a group of young girls. Niamat said: "A white Scottish man started chasing the boys on their bikes, hurling abuse, swearing at them and then the young girls followed on by trying to get into the Bowling Green and swearing at the bajis (sisters). They shouted, 'Go back to your own country, you don't belong here.'"
Niamat, who played a leading role during the Kenmure Street immigration protest in 2021, emphasized that the community is scared. "This is our neighbourhood, this is where we live. Pollokshields is our home. We're not going to have anyone tell us to go back to our own country. This is our country. What I need for people to do is really take this seriously," she said.
Rise in Hate Crimes
The incident comes just days after figures revealed a 17 per cent rise in charges relating to race hate crime across Scotland. Niamat linked the rise to political rhetoric, stating: "The rise of hate crimes, and the discriminatory language that has become normalised, due to careless politicians who have made minorities and Muslims scapegoats, has led to people like us having to look over our shoulder. There is a real fear that the most vulnerable in our communities will get hurt, and that we are heading towards the same conditions that swept across Europe 100 years ago. Fascism is here."
Community Response
In response to the incident, Niamat launched a Pollokshields Watch group to support local residents. She said: "We're not being vigilantes here. We're not doing the police's work for them. But what we are going to do is protect our neighbours. We're going to make sure that no child is being unnecessarily harassed and no elderly lady or man is going to be threatened. Please be careful... look after those who are vulnerable in your communities. This is just not on. It's unprecedented, this level of hatred towards minorities and Muslims. It just sickens me to my stomach."
Police Investigation
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed: "Around 7.25pm on Thursday, 2 July, 2026, we received a report of a man causing a disturbance in the Kenmure Street area of Glasgow. Enquiries are ongoing." The incident is being treated as a hate crime, and police have urged anyone with information to come forward.
