Rival traveller families clashed with shovels outside a shop in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 9, with videos of the confrontation posted online.
The incident involves the McPhee and McGinley families, who have been involved in a long-running feud previously linked to violent incidents across Scotland. The clash took place on Hamilton Road outside a Day Today store.
Videos show confrontation and abuse
In one clip posted to TikTok by the McPhees, a family member shouts abuse at rivals, saying: “You got me charged with attempted murder, you dirty grasses”. He then challenges them to settle the dispute without weapons, saying: “come down and fight - no weapons”.
In another video posted hours later, the McGinleys are seen brandishing shovels as they advance towards the McPhees. Dressed in work clothing, they attempt to strike the rival group, with the shovels hitting the pavement.
Online exchange continues
The dispute continued in the comments section beneath the TikTok post. One McGinley member told the McPhees they were their “bosses” and claimed the McPhees had locked themselves inside the shop, adding: “You know we run you seven days a week.”
Police Scotland has been approached for comment.
Previous incidents
The clash follows years of hostility between the families. In May 2021, footage emerged of a caravan being targeted in an attack at Queen's Drive Retail Park in Kilmarnock. The video showed vehicles surrounding the mobile home, with one car appearing to ram it. Hooded figures used weapons to attack the caravan, and screams were heard. Police confirmed no serious injuries were reported.
In November 2022, footage showed clashes between the McPhees and the Williamsons in North Lanarkshire. Videos given to the Daily Record appeared to show men armed with machetes, baseball bats and a shotgun near Airdrie. One clip showed a man brandishing a firearm outside a caravan, before two others attacked him with machetes. A tipper truck was filmed reversing into the mobile home. It was understood children as young as two were inside.
In 2018, Robert McPhee and other family members were jailed over a campaign of kidnappings, violence and intimidation against workers. The crimes, spanning 1992 to 2016, involved vulnerable men promised work and money, who were made to work long shifts for little pay and punished if they complained. Robert McPhee, known as Bobby or “The Tank Commander”, was convicted of 14 charges and jailed for ten years, with two years of supervision on release.
