In a visit to a mosque in Edinburgh on Monday, a national leader in the UK assured Muslims in the country that the government is “on their side” amidst recent civil strife in England and Northern Ireland over mass migration.
First Minister John Swinney, head of Scotland’s locally-devolved government, met with Muslim community leaders at the Edinburgh Central Mosque to express the state’s solidarity with the Islamic community. This visit came in the wake of protests and riots following a mass stabbing at a children’s dance party last week, which resulted in the deaths of three young girls and injuries to eight others, allegedly by a second-generation Rwandan migrant youth. The protests quickly took on an anti-mass-migration tone.
According to the Daily Record, Swinney emphasized, “My visit today has been designed to say to a community that’s feeling very, very nervous that the government is on their side and is supporting them to ensure their safety.”
Swinney, representing the Scottish National Party (SNP), added, “To anyone who contemplates acting against that – the full force of the law is available to ensure that any such behaviour will be addressed.”
The First Minister mentioned that he had discussions with Jo Farrell, Chief Constable of Police Scotland, about a “sophisticated” police campaign to monitor social media for any anti-mass migration actions and to respond swiftly.
Members of Swinney’s SNP have shown support for the leftist and Islamic communities in policing the streets of Scotland as vigilantes against the so-called “far-right.” SNP Glasgow City Councillor Graham Campbell and Shelly-Ann Brown, the SNP’s “National BAME Convener,” wrote in The National newspaper that police could not be trusted to “defend” the public. They urged supporters to “occupy” critical areas of Glasgow and “oppose racists on the streets to ensure our own safety given the track record of Police Scotland has been lacking in policing fascist groups compared to what force they use on pro-Palestine, climate, and anti-racism protesters.”
While the media and political establishment have focused on the violent riots by mostly ethnic British men against mass migration, there is growing recognition that Muslim groups are also contributing to the divisions. Large vigilante groups, often referred to on social media as the “Muslim Defence League,” have been active.
A Sky News segment in Birmingham was unintentionally interrupted by masked men shouting expletives and “Free Palestine” while making gun gestures to the camera before the feed was cut off. Later footage showed a man attempting to slash the tyres of a Sky News vehicle.
Commenting on the incident, Reform UK MP Richard Tice remarked, “Starmer [and] Labour no doubt think these pro Gaza masked folk are far right too? All violence, rioting, and assault is totally unacceptable. Two-tier policing must stop.”
Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ - https://www.thenational.scot - https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/08/06/uk-first-minister-tells-muslims-the-government-is-on-their-side-during-mosque-visit/
