Police were forced to step in as masked demonstrators confronted a rival anti-racism march in Falkirk on Saturday. The rally by Voices for Falkirk, dubbed “The Right Unites,” explicitly invited far-right groups to assemble outside the Cladhan Hotel, which had been housing asylum seekers but is reportedly no longer used for that purpose.
Clashes and counter-protests
Pictures from the scene show the group confronting a Unity March organised by Stand Up to Racism and Falkirk For All. The anti-immigration group, with several wearing masks and dark clothing, came face to face with police officers as tensions flared. Police moved in to separate the groups, with one masked man seen shouting through a megaphone while demonstrators on the opposing side chanted back.
Other images show members of the Unity March carrying a large banner reading: “Falkirk United Against Racism – Refugees Are Welcome Here.” The counter-demonstration began at Callendar House before making its way towards Falkirk town centre.
Context of ongoing tensions
The clashes come one year after a series of heated protests began outside the Cladhan Hotel, with rival anti-immigration and anti-racism campaigners repeatedly facing off. The hotel has since become one of the main flashpoints for anti-immigration protests in Scotland.
Police Scotland figures show Falkirk has accounted for a significant proportion of anti-immigration protests across the country, with the vast majority taking place around the Cladhan Hotel. A recent Scottish Police Authority report revealed that anti-immigration demonstrations had generated a major policing demand across Scotland.
Recent conviction inflames tensions
The report said 83 counter-protests had taken place during the period examined, with around 80 per cent held in response to anti-immigration protests. Falkirk accounted for 52 per cent of anti-immigration protests recorded by police across Scotland during the period, with almost all taking place at the Cladhan Hotel.
Today’s confrontation also comes just days after a Syrian asylum seeker who had stayed at the hotel was jailed for four years over the sexual assaults of two women in Falkirk. Muhammad Sheikhi, 23, was sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court after being found guilty of two attacks on women who were making their way home from nights out. His conviction has further inflamed tensions surrounding the hotel.
The assaults happened in the early hours of November 30 last year, the same day that major pro- and anti-immigration demonstrations were held around the Cladhan. Sheikhi was convicted following a trial in May and was described by the sentencing sheriff as having carried out deliberate and predatory attacks.
But campaigners opposing anti-immigration demonstrations have warned against using individual criminal cases to target asylum seekers as a group. Stand Up To Racism had urged supporters to attend today's Unity March, claiming the Voices for Falkirk event was an attempt by organised far-right groups to mobilise in the town. In the run-up to today's protest, the group said: “Falkirk far-right are not 'local people with local concerns'. They are part of organised networks of racists, fascists and white supremacist groups who spread hate, Islamophobia & racist violence.”
