Nothing to suggest violent protests coming to Scotland, police say

There is no intelligence to suggest violence similar to that in England in the wake of the Southport attack will occur in Scotland , police have said.

Police Scotland has stepped up patrols across the country, the force said, in response to scenes south of the border, with the far right rioting on Friday night, burning a police station and attacking a mosque in Sunderland.

Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said: “We understand that these recent events may cause concern, that is why we have focused our efforts on increasing policing visibility and engagement across the country as our primary commitment remains the safety and wellbeing of all our communities and our officers and in building trust and confidence.

“We continue to closely monitor the  events in England.

“ Police Scotland is dedicated to upholding human rights and will not tolerate violence or discrimination against any group.

“We wish to thank the Scottish people for their support and while we believe there is no cause for alarm, we encourage anyone with concerns or information to report them to us.”

First Minister John Swinney described the statement as “important” on X, adding: “The scenes of violence in some communities in other parts of the UK will cause anxiety here.

“It is the role of @PoliceScotland to make sure everyone here is safe and – as importantly – feels safe.”

It is not clear if a protest will happen in Scotland this weekend, but a so-called “pro-UK rally” is scheduled for September 7, an event promoted by English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson on social media.

Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, left the group more than a decade ago before it later collapsed, though its members are believed to have moved on to other far-right groups.

In the wake of the Southport attack which saw three children killed – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine – violence has sprung up in the town this week, as well as spreading across England.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused of the attack and appeared in court earlier this week, but false claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.