A seemingly trivial row over Christmas decorations in Aberdeen has laid bare a profound and simmering discontent among residents, with the city's iconic Saltire flags becoming an unlikely symbol of a community's frustration over immigration and perceived neglect.
Flags, Festivities, and a Fractured Community
What began as a routine council task—replacing Scottish Saltire flags with festive lights on lampposts in the Kincorth area—escalated into a heated confrontation. Council workers were subjected to verbal abuse and threats, forcing contractors to abandon the job midway. The result is a stark visual: five lampposts now bear Christmas lights, while the rest of the street remains adorned with Scotland's national flag.
For many locals, this is far more than a debate about seasonal decor. The flag row is viewed as a direct reaction to an immigration crisis that residents feel has "gotten out of hand." The city, once flush with wealth from North Sea oil, now houses hundreds of asylum seekers in hotels, student accommodations, and temporary lodgings, a situation that has sparked repeated protests and community tension.
"Boatloads" and Broken Systems: Voices from the Granite City
Speaking to the Daily Mail, pub manager Lorraine Fyfe, 65, articulated a common sentiment. "To be honest it is about immigrants coming in on boats. If they're coming in legally we have no problem. It's the illegal ones," she said from The Abbot pub on Provost Watt Drive. She expressed anger that "boatloads" of asylum seekers were receiving hotel accommodation and support while local people, including pensioners and those with disabilities, struggle.
Her concerns were echoed by the pub's owner, Andy, who stressed he was not against immigration itself but against the system. "People here who are not in work or are of pension age or have disabilities get nothing from the government," he said. "But it's not the same when they are taking people in who are not working... They are taking boatloads of them in and giving them what our people should be getting."
This sense of injustice was powerfully expressed by Steve Taylor, 65, a former oil and gas worker. He contrasted his own difficulties accessing benefits and his reduced pension with the treatment of asylum seekers. "Soldiers, pensioners, they get nothing. You've got soldiers sleeping on the streets... Yet they [asylum seekers] get put up in a hotel, getting three meals a day," he said, emphasising his issue was with "illegal immigrants," not those arriving through legal channels.
Protests, Attacks, and a Shifting Mood
The flag dispute is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern in Aberdeen. Anti-immigrant protests have been held outside asylum hotels, including a Hampton by Hilton in Westhill, and last month, demonstrators gathered outside Seaton Primary School over English lessons for migrants.
The situation has turned violent. In August, four men were arrested after an attack at the Westhill hotel left a migrant with facial injuries. Further clashes erupted in September when empty student accommodation at Farmer's Hall was converted to house asylum seekers.
While some, like 57-year-old Lorraine Wilson, branded the flag row "stupid" and a "shame," others acknowledged the underlying cause. "I think it is to do with immigration. Foreign people coming in," she said, though adding it did not personally affect her daily life.
Ryan Smith, who claims he helped erect many of the flags, stated plainly: "We're in Scotland and it's the Scottish flag... I've got no grievances against immigrants who are coming over directly with a passport through the right means. But those who are coming over on boats illegally, I don't agree with that. The country is getting overrun."
A City in Transition and a Council Under Fire
Beneath the immediate anger lies a city in economic transition. Aberdeen's oil and gas boom has faded, with many companies leaving and hotels once filled with industry personnel now repurposed. Locals feel the council is prioritising new arrivals over longstanding citizens. "I think everybody is just against the council right now," said Lorraine Fyfe, criticising response times for basic services like street light repairs.
Not all residents share the anti-immigration stance. Jan Citrine, 76, called the abusive behaviour towards council workers "an embarrassment to the people of Aberdeen," blaming social media for inflaming attitudes. Callum Elrick, 34, said he had "no issue" with asylum seekers and believed most people were not racist, but that a minority used immigration as a scapegoat for local crime.
However, the prevailing mood suggests a significant shift. Joan Baton, 67, summarised: "There is a shift, definitely a shift in mood... It's gotten out of hand." Douglas Scott, 75, pointed to the financial burden: "We're paying for the hotels and that has put us all off."
Aberdeen City Council stated that flags must be removed from posts where lights are installed for safety reasons. The local authority, led by the SNP since the 2022 elections, now faces the formidable task of managing community relations in a city where national symbols have become a rallying point for deep-seated economic and social grievances.
