I have no doubt Glasgow will reject extremism at ‘pro-UK’ rally – Sarwar

A “pro-UK rally” has been planned for the city’s George Square on September 7, with English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – promoting the event on social media.

Plans for the rally come after violence in Southport, Merseyside, this week following the killings of three young girls in a knife attack.

Police say the scenes were sparked by supporters of the far right, claiming those present backed the EDL – although the organisation has not existed for around a decade.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Mr Sarwar said the “single most important issue” was to support the families of the children who were killed: Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and the wider community of Southport.

His comments come as the 17-year-old charged with the murder – Axel Rudakubana – appeared in court.

Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects to the victims at a vigil in Southport on Tuesday evening, but violence later erupted outside a mosque in the town with 53 police officers and three police dogs injured.

On Wednesday evening, more than 100 protesters were arrested in Whitehall, where bottles and cans were thrown at police, and violence broke out in Hartlepool, County Durham, where a police car was set alight.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the Scottish Labour leader mentioned the planned rally.

“I’m a son of Glasgow, I was born in Glasgow – Glasgow is my city,” he said.

“I know as a Glaswegian, that we have always had a view – we can’t be complacent, we can’t pretend that there aren’t issues here – but we’ve always been a city that regardless where you come from, regardless of where you were born, when you come here you’re one of us and we’re one Glasgow.

“There have been attempts by the far right before to do protests here or to sow divisions here.

“Every single time the far right has tried to do that in Glasgow, Glasgow has overwhelmingly rejected them.

“I have no doubt Glasgow will do that again if this happens.”

Mr Sarwar was joined by Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken, who wrote on social media site X: “Glasgow City Council has received no notification of any rally but then we know Tommy Robinson and his ilk don’t really care about respecting laws or public places.

“He’s not welcome in Glasgow, and neither is anyone who chooses to align with his poisonous rhetoric.”

In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Wednesday, former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf urged her to proscribe the EDL and its “offshoots” under terrorism legislation, making it illegal to be a member of the groups.

Asked about such a move, Mr Sarwar told the PA news agency “every option should be on the table”.

Mr Yousaf also said in the letter that the UK has a “far-right problem”, but Mr Sarwar suggested such a characterisation could portray such movements as being more mainstream.

“They want to pretend that they are a mainstream movement that represents a significant level of the population,” he said.

“I’m not pretending there isn’t an element, I’m not pretending there isn’t a challenge we have to push back against, but I continue to believe that the overwhelming majority of our country, whether that be here in Scotland, across the rest of the UK, are fair minded, decent individuals who believe in pulling our communities together rather than pulling our communities apart.”

Mr Sarwar went on to call on social media firms to do more, saying the far right is “recruiting, organising, amplifying, fundraising online”.

He added: “All of that can stop if the social media platforms take the appropriate action.”

Elsewhere, Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie has written to his fellow Glasgow MSPs calling for a united response to the rally.

“Glasgow is a proudly multicultural city with a long history of standing up against the far right,” he said.

“There’s no place for the fear, hate and division of these gangs here, nor for the violence and criminality they bring.”