Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firm.

When the “mob” appeared, some were waving union flags and saltires. There were dozens of protestors and their target was a group of anti-racists who’d gathered in a Dundee park in solidarity with asylum seekers.

Harvey Duke was an eye witness. “These people had been psyched up,” says Duke, a softly spoken man who’s in a Dundee pub telling his story. “They were absolutely enraged. They looked upon us as devils incarnate.” He leans forward, almost whispering. “I wanted to tell you this face to face. For my own mental health, I need to tell people this. It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life – ever.”

Duke, a writer, mental health worker and social justice campaigner, is on the streets of Dundee every week to support asylum seekers who are the focus of angry protests. He sips from a glass of coke, glances over his shoulder and continues his story, as a song by Van Morrison plays in the background. He’s talking about events on 13 September in Stobsmuir Park, known locally as Swannie Ponds, when two groups were in a tense stand-off which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. Duke says “fascists” hurled abuse and there were chants of “paedos” and “send them home” by the anti-immigration crowd.

After the anti-racist group left the park to walk towards flats housing asylum seekers, Duke says they ended up in the corner of a street, penned in by a baying crowd. The “far right” chucked vapes, stones and eggs, he adds, and although police were in attendance he claims they were unprepared for the fury unleashed against a group which included women, children, disabled people and elderly folk. Images of the 2024 riots in England flashed up in Duke’s mind. “I remember thinking, ‘if anyone’s going to break through police lines and set fires to flats or hotels, it’s the people who are standing a few yards away from us’.”

Duke is one of many anti-racism activists The Ferret has spoken to recently as part of an on-going investigation into the demonstrations against asylum seekers spreading across Scotland. He was on official duty in Dundee the day the “fascists” came to town. As a member of Dundee Trades Union Council, he was a senior steward tasked with marshalling the anti-racist group and ensuring its safety, while liaising with police. There were an estimated 250 anti-racists – including union members, antifascists and locals – facing off against around 150 people opposed to asylum seekers. There had been previous Dundee demos but this was larger and more intimidating, Duke says. He recalls a lot of shouting and “realised quickly” that some in the crowd were not those he’d previously encountered at demos. Some, The Ferret has learned, had travelled to Dundee from Aberdeen, Falkirk and Perth, and Duke claims they would try to attack the anti-fascists when out of sight of the police, adding: “They were right in our faces.”

One detail haunts Duke. He had to escort a family to safety and recalls a woman pushing a pram with tears streaming down her face. She was sobbing, he says, as a crowd shouted abuse just a few feet away, held back by police. “I had to keep saying to the woman, over and over, ‘it'll be okay, you'll be safe here, it'll be OK’,” says Duke, who says that some protestors were “genuinely terrified”. Some told him they couldn’t attend another protest. Others are not sleeping well. “We’re trying to get people to talk about it,” says Duke. “I know the value of talking about it all. I need to talk about it too. It’s been so stressful.”

Protests against asylum seekers are nothing new in Britain. They’ve been on-going for years and have become an incendiary political issue. In 2023, we revealed that neo-Nazis from England, some of whom were later jailed, travelled north to attend protests against asylum seekers in Erskine. Two years on and there are protests in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Falkirk, and Perth. They’ve been attended by far right groups and people with genuine fears over asylum seekers, reflecting a controversial view they are more likely to commit crimes, and make areas less safe. Increasingly the same narratives and slogans are used at protests including “save our women” and “defend our children” – coupled with concerns that immigration has caused the housing crisis.

Violence has erupted at times. In England last year, there was widespread street disorder when rioters attacked people of colour and tried to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers – their rage aimed at people who’d come to Britain seeking safety from violence. This summer protests erupted in England again after Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker in Epping, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14 year-old. Scotland has escaped rioting, so far, but there are worrying signs the mood is darkening as the immigration debate becomes increasingly poisonous amidst a prolonged cost of living crisis that’s caused economic hardship. After an Afghan asylum seeker was jailed for raping a woman in Falkirk in June, hundreds of people protested outside a hotel where they are housed – and they’ve continued to demonstrate since.

While some attending protests are local people with no specific political affiliation, far right groups have also been attending demonstrations. They include the Homeland Party — which says it rejects violence – and extremist factions such as Britain First and Patriotic Alternative, the latter which stands accused of being “neo-Nazi”. These groups have been accused of spreading misinformation and stirring up racial hatred but they claim to represent the views of people who are opposed to mass immigration. Homeland says it has “no connection to any disorder” and that local tensions exist because of the “consequences of mass immigration”. Patriotic Alternative says it is a “white advocacy group, and we support the indigenous people of these islands”.

For peaceful campaigners like Duke, who has attended pro-immigration protests across Scotland for years, these feel like dark times. He says asylum seekers are being scapegoated for Britain’s economic problems and collectively punished for the crimes of a small number of criminal individuals. But his commitment to their cause comes at a cost. “I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Duke says. He certainly never expected to encounter this in Dundee, a city with a tradition of opposing racism. For him, threats are now a part of his life and he could be a target. He shares screenshots of a Facebook page after someone posted a photo of him, which prompted a series of comments. “You’ll need to crush him like the bug he is. He’s a peedo (sic) fuktard,” wrote one man. Another posted: “he’s got a puss (face) you’d gladly punch.” Duke says that he feels “strangely Ok” despite the risks, but that “he’s not unaffected” and often “very tired”. He also worries about the wellbeing of fellow anti-fascists though stresses their commitment to supporting asylum seekers is unwavering. “We can’t let fascists take over the streets,” Duke says.

FALKIRK'S ASYLUM PROTESTS 

Driving into Falkirk from the east, the politics are visible. As we pass a housing scheme known locally as ‘The Bog”, union flags and saltires on lampposts flutter in the wind, symbolism that smacks of loyalist estates in Northern Ireland. Our destination is the Cladhan Hotel, a dull grey and white block of a building, on two levels, close to the town centre with a line of swaying green trees at its back. It faces high rise flats where union flags stare back, and across from the hotel, where anti-migrant protestors gather, lies a sign that reads: “Call them what they are: Illegal economic migrants.”

We’ve arranged to meet Cameron Manning, an anti-racism activist who lives in Falkirk. A well-built lad originally from Somerset, he volunteers with a group called Falkirk for All which has been opposing anti-immigration demos in the town. Falkirk, in some respects, has been the epicentre of protests against asylum seekers in Scotland this year and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage plans to visit the town this weekend. It was the rape of a teenage girl in 2023 that sparked outrage in August, and the demos have continued at least weekly for almost six months now. The rape was committed by Sadeq Nikzad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who was jailed for nine years in June. Since then, there have been demands for the asylum seekers to be moved elsewhere amidst fears that women and children continue to be at risk. 

The Ferret arranged to meet Manning after Falkirk For All flagged a petition which called for an exclusion zone to be established around the hotel. It states that a “once tranquil neighbourhood has been transformed into an echo chamber of chaos, hindering daily life and diminishing mental well-being”, adding the protests have caused “unbearable noise levels” and disrupted life for residents. At time of writing 1090 people have signed the petition. Manning has been attending the Cladhan protests since the first one on 16 August and Falkirk for All was established in early September “I saw what the anti-hotel group was doing,” he explains. “I saw what they were doing online, the sort of rhetoric they were using, and the things they said about immigrants in general. And it was quite clear it was an extreme right wing group.”

There’s a “visible sectarian” element to the protests, Manning says, with Rangers football club shirts and union flags de rigueur for some protestors. The flag of Northern Ireland has also been displayed and sectarian language has been used. Claiming that misinformation is rife, he recalls one incident after a Facebook group called Save Our Futures & Our Kids Futures posted a false accusation that an anti-racist campaigner was a paedophile, and around 15 people turned up at their home. “I think that's one of the most horrific things I've seen,” Manning says. “They took the post down with no public apology, just said they were reassessing the evidence and then deleted that post as well.” The Ferret asked Save Our Futures & Our Kids Futures to comment but heard nothing back.

Before meeting Manning, I’d watched a video on X of an evening protest at the Cladhan Hotel. As anti-racists were escorted away by police they were followed by a group of masked people. Manning was there. “We asked the police if they could give us some protection as we left the site, but were followed on the other side of the road, and they continuously shouted abuse. We were worried about getting to our cars as a lot of us had parked nearby. We don’t want people to identify our cars, given how they’re acting.” Another video shows a police cone being thrown at anti-racists and masked people shouting abuse and filming people as they get into their cars. 

Manning – who points out that claiming political asylum is not illegal – says he’s well known to the opposition but that it’s “pointless trying to hide”. He’s had threats and was warned that some people want to “batter him”, and there was information posted on Tik Tok about where he stays. It’s been “quite stressful” to be targeted, he says, but he’s determined to keep campaigning. He claims the tense situation has also impacted businesses in the town, with lower footfall generally on a Saturday which, Manning says, is because the protests take place close-by. “We [Falkirk For All] spoke to local businesses,” he says. “And, some that are owned by first, second or third generation immigrants are shutting on Saturdays, because they know that they are likely to be targets themselves, and have faced an increase of racism.”

Another activist – who we’ll call Kali to protect her identity – claims she’s been threatened twice. On the first occasion she was targeted in a car park by a woman and man who, she says, know her from the protests. She says the man shouted: “You get in your car, you dirty wee skanky bastard,” and “What you rolling your eyes for,” before approaching her car, banging on its roof, and shouting: “You’re fucking dead”. The other threat came at night when a man wearing a union flag mask said to Kali, “the police can’t protect you forever, dear.” Her name has now been “passed around” the anti-migrant group. They know who she is. She says they stand with megaphones outside the hotel and shout her name. But Kali is defiant and says she stands up to abuse and will continue to do so – although there is one guy she’s concerned about – the man with the mask. She says: “I’m a wee bit edgy but I’m not scared.” 

Kali later sends photos of two men outside the Cladhan wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the number “18” and claims they’re members of the neo-Nazi group, Combat 18. The "18" in the name refers to the initials of Adolf Hitler, as A and H are the first and eighth letters of the alphabet. The Ferret has been unable to verify that claim, but we have identified people with links to far right groups. They include Mark Donald, who supports A Force for Good, which is led by a Holocaust denier called Alistair McConnachie. In one video seen by The Ferret, Donald is outside the Cladhan with a megaphone, singing a football song with the words “fuck the pope”. Donald did not reply to our request for a comment. McConnachie said that while his group had not attended the demos “in any formal capacity” it was “sympathetic towards their aims of stopping mass immigration” and that “we have helped to publicise a select number”. He added: “We are not responsible for the words or actions of anyone acting in their personal capacity.”

Banners at the protests included one that was allegedly a nod to the Ulster Defence Association, a banned Northern Ireland paramilitary group. It read “Kill 'Em All, Let God Sort 'Em Out", and was identical to one pictured with a loyalist figure called Jonny Adair when he was in prison. The flag of Israel has also been displayed and one video clip of a protest plays the Israeli national anthem. The Ferret has seen Tik Tok videos with loyalist symbols such as the red hand of Ulster.  The Homeland Party, which advocates mass deportations of foreigners has attended the demos, as has Patriotic Alternative, whose members have included white supremacists jailed for racist crimes.

An activist called Georgina Henderson says she attended the first protest after hearing about the rape but was so appalled by the behaviour of some of the crowd that she now campaigns with Falkirk For All. “I went along with my partner and daughter but was shocked by the levels of hostility and aggression,” she says. “It’s horrible to see this in our community. My partner gets ‘paedo’ shouted at him. ” In Septemer a brick was thrown through a window of the Cladhan Hotel. Falkirk For All claims there have been 13 arrests linked to the anti-asylum protestors and 37 alleged crimes. We asked Police Scotland to confirm the number of arrests but it told The Ferret to submit a freedom of information request.

THREATS TO MUSLIMS 

There have been serious problems elsewhere. In Aberdeen, we’ve been speaking to anti-fascist sources for months but on condition of anonymity as they fear reprisals. There’s been a litany of incidents in the city including attacks on muslims and asylum seekers. Someone online suggested burning down a mosque and in July a teenager who threw paint over a mosque and smashed a window while people were inside was sentenced to six months in custody. Jayden Wallace admitted targeting Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre in March. Several mosques have been attacked this year in Scotland, as previously reported by The Ferret. 

There are also claims of vigilantism. One woman, who we’ll call ‘Amy’ to protect her identity, says that men have been patrolling Aberdeen’s streets, taking photos, asking questions and challenging people of colour. It was reported that students on a night out were left shaken by an anti-migrant march with protesters chanting “send them home” and “Christ is King”. Amy claims that at Farmer’s Hall student accommodation, where asylum seekers are housed, masked people turned up one evening and “brutally assaulted” an asylum seeker. “He managed to get away and spent two-and-a-half hours running around Aberdeen terrified, until it was safe to return,” she says. “He was covered in blood. He was shaking, grey and traumatised. But he didn’t want to report it to the police in case there were repercussions and he also thought it might affect his claim for asylum.” 

She claims there was another incident when three men who’d been praying at a mosque were targeted on Constitution Street by masked youths on scooters who carried backpacks full of stones. The men ran back to the mosque and were unhurt, she says, but the attackers followed and the police were called. Other incidents include a Chinese family allegedly being spat at in hospital and an Iraqi businessman challenged by a teenager who said ‘did you come here by boat?’.  “I mean what is going on?,” Amy says. “This is happening more often. We’ve had ‘white power’ shouted at demos and banners with the 14 words”. This refers to a white supremacist slogan 14 words long: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children’ – The Ferret has seen evidence of this at Aberdeen protests.

There’s a lot of worry, Amy says, and she’s under stress. But her first concern is for those who could be targeted, claiming that any person of colour is at risk. There is a small core group of “far right” activists that she describes as “crazy”. Her claims are backed by another person who sends a video of someone being punched at a protest, a clip of masked men waiting outside accommodation for asylum seekers, and a photo of a flyer for an open day at a mosque that had been defaced with a swastika. Anti-Islam rhetoric and “crude racism” is now the norm at public gatherings of anti-immigration protestors, both women claim. The Ferret has previously highlighted controversial speeches at migrant protests in the city.

Meanwhile in Perth, a crack dealer was found guilty last week after a racist attack on an asylum seeker in the city centre. Darren McMillan, and another man who has since died, attacked their victim with knuckledusters. The victim, 25-year-old Kru Bantan, was found soaked in blood. But it’s not just asylum seekers being targeted now. Council workers in Aberdeen have been threatened while removing flags from lampposts to put up Christmas lights. Saltires and union flags were put up across Scotland earlier this year after a social media campaign by a group behind an anti-asylum seeker protest. And schools are also facing protests. An Inverness primary school cancelled its Christmas show after receiving “racist” messages because it featured Syrian refugees, and Glasgow schools have been targeted because they offer adult English classes to foreigners. Amid rising concerns over racism, Scots politicians have spoken out and first minister John Swinney said last weekend that protests at hotels housing asylum seekers are racist, while his predecessor Humza Yousaf warned that Scotland risks losing a generation of young men to far-right extremists. His comments followed new UK Government figures showing that the number of Scots youngsters referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme has doubled. Around 90 per cent of referrals are male – with extreme right-wing views the most common reason for referral.

ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTS SPREAD

The Ferret spent three months on our latest investigation, speaking to sources across Scotland, attending protests in Dundee, Falkirk, and Perth, and monitoring social media. We’ve found that the anti-immigration protestors are becoming much more organised. They’ve ramped up the protests and often live stream events, and there are various social media groups with thousands of followers. At demos, they film the opposition and post personal information about people online – one woman in Dundee moved home after being “doxxed” and others told us similar stories. In Falkirk, protests are often held twice a week now at the Cladhan and we’ve evidence that activists travel across Scotland to support each other. People from Aberdeen, Falkirk and Perth have been to Dundee, and The Ferret understands that anti-immigration activists will be bussed into Inverness from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Peterhead for a protest planned at Cameron Barracks on 6 December, where asylum seekers could be housed. 

The Inverness demo is due to take place on the same day Nigel Farage visits Falkirk, where his party Reform UK has been supportive of anti-immigration protests – as it has in Dundee where an anti-migrant group called the Dundee Patriots is highly active. It claims to be protecting women and children from asylum seekers while opposing the housing of “illegal immigrants”. Regular protestors include a man with criminal convictions called David Tarbett, David Fyfe, who has neo-Nazi facial tattoos, and Gavin Blues, who also has convictions. A supporter called David Soutar travels from Perth. He was found guilty of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in 2024 after he uploaded a video of himself online shouting abuse at asylum seekers in a Perth hotel. At least eight people involved with the anti-asylum protests in Dundee have criminal convictions.

The Ferret has seen comments by anti-immgration protestors that are racist, anti-semitic, threatening and abusive towards women. One said: “the jews control the world…I wouldn’t be surprised tbh the jewish have brought a lot of trouble to us all” while another person wrote: “Only Scotland eh hey hey the lights are flashing we’re going a Paki bashing.” Another message said: “Sums these Antifa creatures up. Absolutely diabolical what these freaks get away with. She needs a good fucking slap. Slap some sense into her inbred little brain.” We asked the Dundee Patriots to comment and David Tarbett said: “I think you should crawl back down the rabbit hole you just came out of yi lefty.”

Anti Fascist Action Dundee (AFAD) points out that the number of anti-immigration protestors in Dundee has “sharply decreased” since the first protest, and that Dundee Patriots relies on people coming from Falkirk and Perth to boost its numbers. There have been seven anti-migrant protestors arrested so far. AFAD claims that the Dundee Patriots have behaved in a “threatening and abusive manner” towards asylum seekers and counter-protesters. “They have shouted abusive remarks at Alloway residents [asylum seekers] passing by,” one member told us. “They have doxed counter-protesters, posting their identities and personal details on social media. They have followed and assaulted counter-protesters as they were making their way home.” 

At time of writing, the Dundee Patriots are protesting almost every night, often arranging flash demos. But the anti-fascists can mobilise rapidly and usually turn out in greater numbers. These groups include the Fire Brigades Union, Unison, Stand Up to Racism, Unite, Dundee Pensioners Forum, Dundee TUC, Dundee for Palestine, Women Against the far Right Scotland, Anti Fascist Action Dundee, Young Socialists, the Communication Workers Union – and students from local universities and colleges. Harvey Duke is at most protests too, uncowed by events in September. “Anxiety, trauma, pride, all came about that day,” he tells me in one of our regular check-ins, recalling the day at Swannie Ponds. “And then the opposition announced they would hold weekly protests. And we didn’t know if these protests would be like what we’d just gone through. We had people thinking, ‘can we face this’, ‘can we put ourselves through this again – they have very mixed feelings’. But I thought, ‘nothing is going to prevent me from turning up. Nothing.”