Prominent Scottish right-wing figures have emerged as strong supporters of an anti-immigration gathering in Glasgow, following the knife incident in Belfast. Among them is Craig Houston, a former representative of a Rangers fan group, who has reinvented himself as a right-wing influencer and aspiring political leader. He broadcast extensive video footage from the event, which was intended to be peaceful but descended into a disorderly mob. Despite his YouTube channel boasting 95,000 subscribers, Houston received only 200 votes in the Holyrood election in May, where he ran as an independent candidate.
Houston has formed a robust alliance with Alex Cairnie, a self-styled 'paedophile hunter' closely associated with far-right extremist Tommy Robinson. Cairnie appeared alongside Robinson during large anti-immigration gatherings in London. In a video of Tuesday's unrest, Houston appeared to follow Cairnie around, filming petty arguments with police officers. While heading to the gathering, Houston expressed hope to meet 'a lot of like-minded people who are just disgusted with the whole thing.' He added, 'I want you to go out in solidarity with the good people of north Belfast. I’m hoping it’s a peaceful protest. It’s just been a completely organic thing. It’s like friends of friends been sharing the details of it, so how this turns out, I don’t know. There could be five people, there could be 500 people there. I have no idea.'
He then shared videos of men in black marching through the city centre, singing 'Rule, Britannia' and waving a Union Jack flag. In April last year, Cairnie and Houston organised a protest outside a primary school in Glasgow, which was scheduled to conduct English lessons for adults. The campaign was strongly condemned as 'misguided and toxic' by Glasgow City Council. In February, Cairnie was ordered to perform unpaid work after admitting to abducting a suspected paedophile during a car chase. He was convicted at Paisley Sheriff Court for holding the man in a sting organised by his Spartan Child Protection group. Cairnie, 48, had approached the suspect in April 2023 after parents raised concerns about a child being preyed upon. He later admitted to restraining the man by 'standing on his wrists and detaining him against his will.'
Houston's video this week captured stand-offs between masked men, police, and passers-by, with tension engulfing the city centre. As he joined a group containing many masked youngsters at the Royal Concert Hall, Houston filmed a banner created by Richard McFarlane, the Scottish voice of the far-right Patriotic Alternative group. The banner conflated the death of Henry Nowak in Southampton with the unrelated Belfast incident, stating: 'Henry Nowak - stabbed, handcuffed, bleeding. I can’t breathe.' Murder victim Henry was handcuffed as he lay dying after being falsely accused of a racist attack by a Sikh man.
Last night, Mohammed Asif, spokesman for Stand Up to Racism, said concerted efforts had been made by very prominent politicians and public figures, such as Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson, and Elon Musk, to vilify brown, black, and Muslim people. Asif noted that the Glasgow scenes resembled recent clashes between Rangers and Celtic ultras in the city centre, where black-clad individuals rampaged through the streets. He stated, 'It definitely looked very much like football hooligans, and I suspect it was the same people who see the season is over and they are bored and just want to cause damage to people’s life and property. It was full of hate, fear, and divisions. Glasgow is a beautiful city, and when you have people covering their faces, wearing balaclavas, and willing to riot like this, you have to look to the politicians and ask about their role in it.'
Asif added that anyone seen to be inciting riots through their words on TV or spreading word of mass gatherings should be investigated by police for possible hate crimes or inciting violence. The article continues below.
