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Conservative candidate Meghan Gallacher made the claim in a special education debate hosted by the BBC.
The Ferret did a deep dive into the Electoral Commission’s donation records to find out who was funding Scotland's political parties.
Anti-racism groups have warned that a far right group which allegedly distributed leaflets in Glasgow’s south side includes “neo-Nazis” trying to “stir up hatred” of migrants.
Their claims were made in response to leaflets – passed to The Ferret – allegedly produced by Patriotic Alternative (PA), a far right group opposed to immigration which is recruiting in Scotland.
Campaign Against Antisemitism was among groups voicing concern. It warned that far right organisations can potentially divide communities and “poison impressionable minds”.
The leaflet was headlined ‘White Britons to be a minority by the 2060s – or Sooner’. It states it was “printed and promoted by Patriotic Alternative” and provides an address in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, which is the same contact address listed on PA’s website. The Ferret was able to download the same leaflet from PA’s website.
We asked PA to comment in reply to concerns raised about the leaflet but it did not reply to our email.
The leaflet was delivered to homes in Pollokshields, an area in the south side of Glasgow, one of the most ethnically diverse places in Scotland. It is where a white youth called Kriss Donald was abducted before being murdered in 2004.
The leaflet claims: “Immigration is not enriching Britain – it is making life worse for the vast majority of people. But it isn’t just about waiting lists and rising prices – mass immigration has an effect on our culture, our ways of life and even our safety.”
It also claims that Britons are “left stuck in traffic every morning as our roads are grid locked (sic) meaning it takes even longer to get to work”.
PA is a white nationalist group based in West Yorkshire whose leader Mark Collett is the former head of the British National Party’s youth wing.
Their propaganda, which is designed to stir hatred towards minority groups, including Jewish people, has no place in British society.
Campaign Against Antisemitism
In 2021 The Ferret revealed that supporters of PA in Scotland included neo-Nazis and former members of the British National Party. Our investigation found they posted racist and antisemitic comments, alongside disturbing images, in a private group on the messaging app, Telegram.
Anti-fascism group HOPE not hate claimed recently that PA’s Scottish branch is the most “active and hardline” in the UK.
Commenting on the leaflet, David Lawrence, a senior researcher with HOPE not hate, alleged that PA tries to “hide the true extent of its extremism from the public” and that its supporters include “neo-Nazis”.
He added: “For example, the group’s leader has described Hitler as a ‘simple, humble painter’, has recommended Mein Kampf to his audience and hosts a show with a former Ku Klux Klan leader. Their views are disgusting to the overwhelming majority of the British public, however, and whilst we must be wary of their attempts to sow division in our communities, PA remains a highly fringe group.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism alleged that PA targets and recruits youths with “racist indoctrination”. The spokesperson added: “Their propaganda, which is designed to stir hatred towards minority groups, including Jewish people, has no place in British society.
“We have seen with other far-right organisations how the dissemination of flyers and stickers by their members can escalate into serious crimes. Left unchecked, these activities have the potential to divide communities and poison impressionable minds.”
Unite Against Fascism said: “The claims made by the Patriotic Alternative are ludicrous. If they were really were serious about the social problems listed on their leaflet then they should be joining and supporting unions fighting cuts to public services and the NHS, working with anti-poverty campaigners fighting fuel poverty – instead they seek to blame the powerless for social problems caused by the most powerful.”
In response to a recent story by The Ferret, PA said it condemned “violence and terrorism”.
Last month two people were arrested after leaflets containing allegedly racist material were posted in Dunoon.
Photo Credit: iStock/DedMityay
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