Anti-racism protesters claim Saltire flags are being used to “intimidate” migrants, as a Falkirk hotel becomes the scene of regular demonstrations
The blue and white Saltire flag has begun appearing halfway up lampposts in towns and cities across Scotland in recent weeks.
Anti-racism campaigners believe it is an “intimidation tactic” against asylum seekers, as protests continue to rage outside hotels housing migrants.
Flag defenders say the outpouring of patriotism is about wider frustrations with deprived communities being ignored by politicians.
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The arrival of the “flag wars” seen in England – Union Jacks and St George’s crosses on lampposts at a time of tension over immigration – in Scotland poses a problem for the SNP.
Addressing the flags going up in Falkirk, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Paisley – places which have all seen protests at asylum hotels – First Minister John Swinney said the Saltire was a “flag of welcome”.
“Refugees are welcome”, said the SNP leader. Residents angry about asylum seekers living close by to them do not appear to share his view.
Falkirk has emerged as the angry frontline of the immigration debate in Scotland, as activists continue to face off around a hotel housing asylum seekers on the edge of the town centre.
Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)
Around 100 people gathered to chant “get them out” at the latest demo outside the Cladhan Hotel on Wednesday evening. It is the fifth such event in the past month.
Falkirk’s Save Our Future Save Our Kids Future (SOFSOKF) has said it was “disgusted” that Saltires had been taken down by council staff and is fundraising to put up more.
There have been heated exchanges with counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism and Falkirk for All, who have turned on the other side of a police barricade to chant: “Refugees are welcome here.”
Several arrests have been made for behaviour outside the hotel since protests began in mid-August. A brick was thrown through a window of the hotel last week – an incident police are still investigating.
Tensions have been building ever since June, when 29-year-old asylum seeker Sadeq Nikzad was jailed for the rape of a teenage girl in Falkirk town centre in 2023.
The i Paper heard some anti-asylum protesters shouting “beast” at asylum seekers coming and going from the hotel on Wednesday evening.
Cameron Manning, a 30-year-old campaigner with Falkirk for All, is dismayed. “We don’t believe it’s fair that because of a single incident that it is enough to tar an entire group,” he said.
Anti-asylum and anti-racism protesters outside Falkirk’s Cladhan Hotel (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)
Manning claimed some on the opposite side of the barricade had been shouting the name of English far-right activist Tommy Robinson at recent events. “They’ve made very little effort to distance themselves from those far-right associations.”
Some anti-asylum protesters who spoke to The i Paper dismissed the idea they have anything to do with the far right. Most referred to “safety” as their big motivation for turning up – citing the rape conviction.
“I’m not racist, I’m not far right,” said 59-year-old Alan Valentine. “It’s about safety. It’s single men and they’re hanging around the town in gangs.”
“We don’t know who they are,” added the Falkirk resident. “It’s a disgrace that we don’t have control of who is coming in [to the UK]. They’re getting treated better than us. They get three meals a day, they get free board, they’re at the food banks.”
Anti-asylum hotel protesters Kevin (right) and Alan Valentine (Photos : The i Paper)
Kevin, 55, who grew up in Falkirk, added: “These people should be held in detention camps. If they’re eligible to be in our country, fine. If they aren’t eligible, remove them straight away.”
Stand Up to Racism said Richard McFarlane of Patriotic Alternative – one of Britain’s largest far-right organisations – made a microphoned speech at the first Falkirk protest on 16 August.
The group claims McFarlane told the crowd: “Keep Britain white.” He has been seen at several SOFSOKF events since then.
Connor Graham, 28-year-lead organiser of SOFSOKF, told The i Paper: “I’ve done everything in my power to tell these outside organisations not to come. I had a conversation with him [McFarlane] a couple of days ago saying he’s not welcome here with his banners.”
“I’m not interested in any of that, racism and the far-right,” added Graham.
Caption: Connor Graham, organiser of Save Our Future Save Our Kids Future (Photo: The i Paper)
Mark Paterson, chair of the Falkirk Trade Unions Council, said some people were “getting whipped up into a frenzy”. He accused the far-right elements of “jumping on the bandwagon” to stir up trouble.
But he believes frustrations in deprived parts of Falkirk run deep. “It’s sad to see residents being used,” said Paterson. “Because they’re frustrated about all kinds of things.”
“There’s a lack of jobs in Falkirk, a lack of housing, their own services have been cut – it’s a perfect storm. It’s being used against asylum seekers.”
One younger anti-asylum protester, 21-year-old Kyle, told The i Paper that Scottish flags going up in Falkirk went beyond immigration.
“It’s not just about asylum seekers. That’s part of it. We should be looking after people in Falkirk first. But there’s no jobs here. There’s a lack of housing. The cost of living is disgraceful. So it’s frustration with a lot of things,” he said.
Manning said he was in no doubt the spread of flags was tied to the wave of anti-asylum protests. “The timing of it and who is promoting it, suggests it’s an intimidation tactic against migrants,” said the Falkirk for All campaigner.
“I’ve spoken to people of south-Asian descent who have lived here all their lives who say it’s making them feel unwelcome.”
Alex O’Kane, a north Glasgow activist who runs the No1Seems2Care Facebook group, has recently put up Scotland flags in the area. He told The i Paper he was motivated by the failure to tackle crime, food poverty and the housing shortage.
“It’s a symbol to politicians that things have to change,” said O’Kane. “When people say it’s racist, I take great offence at that.”
Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she had “never been that into flags” and urged people to “calm down a little bit over flags”.
However, the rise in support for Reform UK in Scotland poses a problem for both the SNP and Scottish Labour. Nigel Farage’s party is no longer seen as an English import and recent polls them on course to win up to 15 seats at next year’s Holyrood election.
Professor James Mitchell said Farage would be delighted that the Scottish flag, rather than the Union Jack, was being used by the party’s anti-immigration voter base north of the border.
“For Reform UK, they will want to be associated with anything that is Scottish,” said the professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh.
“The SNP has a bit of problem here,” Professor Mitchell added. “The SNP has tried to capture the flag over the years. To some extent they’ve been hoisted by their own petard.”
“It’s difficult for John Swinney and the SNP to say, ‘The Saltire is flag of welcome’, but exclude those you politically disagree with. Are they saying only they can define who uses Scottish symbols?”
The UK Government has a target to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029. But Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to “bring forward” that date.
The Home Office declined to comment on whether any discussions were going on with its Scottish asylum accommodation contractor, the Mears Group, to remove asylum seekers from the Cladhan Hotel.
A spokesperson for the department said it was taking “urgent action” to increase the rate of asylum decisions, having inherited a “system in chaos”.
Mears and the Falkirk hotel owners Hannigan Hotels both declined to comment. Patriotic Alternative were approached for comment.