Tommy Robinson has apologised to a Scottish father who was falsely accused of filming children in a park by anti-immigration protesters. The right-wing activist shared a video on X that led to online harassment of the man, identified as Quroum, 43, from Glasgow.
What happened at Richmond Park
Quroum was playing with his children at Richmond Park in the Gorbals area of Glasgow on Sunday, July 12, around 9pm when a protest began to approach. He got into a confrontation with protesters, and later a video of the stand-off was posted on X by Tommy Robinson, who labelled him an "invader". The footage amassed over 118,000 views and more than 1,500 reshares, and was flooded with racist comments.
Robinson has since deleted the post and issued an apology on X, stating: "I have to correct the record here. In this instance I got it wrong, as did many others, so for that I apologise and I have deleted that post."
Quroum's response to the apology
Quroum told Glasgow Live that he is "unsure" if he can accept the apology, as "it's unclear whether he is apologising to me or to his followers." He added: "The original tweet put my life at risk. He never named me directly. Is it an apology to me or to his followers, or does he feel like his integrity has been affected? He hasn't apologised for the harm that it caused me and what I've had to go through for the last couple of days... I don't know if I can accept his apology because I don't know if he's apologising to me."
Background of the incident
Quroum, a fourth-generation Scot, said protesters wearing balaclavas and holding banners marched through the residential area. He described the scene: "It's quite a multicultural area, so a lot of the families in the park felt threatened and quickly ran away to their houses. People packed up their picnics, there were children out playing with chalk and stuff like that, and they all cleared up and ran away."
After taking his children home, Quroum returned to the park to film attendees shouting "our streets". He was sitting on a swing filming when he became involved in a confrontation. In the video, protesters can be heard saying "why are you videoing children?", "F*** off", and chanting "get him out". Police escorted Quroum away for his safety.
The following morning, Quroum says he was confronted by protesters who shouted further abuse at him. He stated: "I feel fearful for my safety, but I wasn't prepared for the way the protestors would change the narrative and how it has changed into something else online. But at the same time, I need to see this through and take a stand. I'm fourth generation [Scottish], my kids are fifth generation. If I'm not going to stand up for myself and make a point, then who is?"
Police confirm false claims
Police Scotland confirmed that claims Quroum had filmed children were "completely inaccurate". The incident highlights the dangers of online misinformation and the impact on innocent individuals.
