ON Wednesday, rumours of possible far-right riots in Glasgow’s George Square and Paisley spread like wildfire.
Unverified social media reports suggested the violence which has engulfed England and Northern Ireland had arrived in Scotland.
The Scottish Refugee Council issued a statement urging refugees and asylum seekers to be “vigilant”. Other charities closed their Glasgow offices and asked staff of colour to stay at home to be on the safe side.
Police Scotland insisted that they had “no intelligence to suggest any protest is planned”. And indeed, thankfully, they were right. Scotland saw none of that horrifying racist, anti-immigration and islamophobic unrest that day.
Some have argued that it’s due to the issue of migration being generally less “polarising” in Scottish politics, because the issue is reserved to Westminster, and Scotland’s lower Muslim and migrant population.
But the air still felt heavy that day and the fear palpable, particularly for Scotland’s refugee and Muslim population. Afterall, Scotland is by no means immune to racism or far-right groups. In fact, some of the UK’s most influential far-right figures hail from north of the border.
That same day, Kenny Smith – chairman of the far-right Homeland Party – posted a blog post taking aim at Humza Yousaf, advertising it on the group’s Telegram chat with over 1000 followers.
The former British National Party (BNP) organiser, who lives in Skye and previously pled guilty to firearms charges, wasn’t impressed with the former First Minister (below) emotionally sharing that he is questioning his family’s future in Scotland amid the far-right riots and those “questioning his very sense of belonging”.
“These people have no loyalty to our people or our land,” Smith wrote.
“They are pushing their agenda for their people, their culture, and their identity, and it is all to the detriment of our ethnic identity, culture and heritage.”
Believe it or not, The Homeland Party – which splintered from Patriotic Alternative (PA), the UK’s most active fascist group and – attempts to downplay its extreme politics and cultivate a “squeaky clean media image”, according to Hope Not Hate, (HNH) the UK’s leading campaign group against the far-right.
The Ferret reported last year that Tayside-based James Munro of the now defunct neo-Nazi Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), has been active in Homeland.
Homeland also led a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Erskine (above) – the Muthu River Hotel – last year, which later led to the Home Office seeking alternative accommodation.
A registered political party since February, the group promotes a nationalism based on “ethnic, ancestral, and cultural unity” and advocates for a referendum on immigration.
Homeland also encourages officials to infiltrate parish and community councils.
“They believe there's no point contesting national elections [and] these are positions that people can often enter practically unopposed because a lot of them are desperate for members,” said HNH researcher David Lawrence – who specialises in monitoring European and UK radical right movements..
“Often this involves not being entirely honest, obscuring the nature of what the Homeland Party is, obscuring its true political leanings.”
Homeland currently has three community councillors across Scotland.
Simon Crane (above), former PA Regional Organiser for Scotland, sits on East Calder and District Community Council. The far-right activist has previously attempted to establish himself as a social media personality under the pseudonym “Si Borg” – hosting podcasts talks with the likes of Kristofer Kearney, a former member of the now banned nazi terror group National Action who is currently in prison for terror-related offences.
Homeland activist David Gardner is also a councillor and current treasurer of Forfar community council, while Jamie Brown is Chair of Invergowrie and Kingoodie Community Council near Dundee.
Hope Not Hate fears Homeland is applying the controversial “ladder strategy” adopted by the British National Party (BNP) when they reached the peak of their political influence during the 2000s.
“It’s about using local politics to build support at the local level and then building upwards from there,” explained Lawrence.
Meanwhile, post-Southport stabbing, there have been no direct appeals to violence from Homeland on their public Telegram. Instead, Homeland appears to be in recruitment mode.
Multiple posts decry the likes of alleged “second-tier policing”, Keir Starmer and the effects of immigration. “The Homeland Party is making progress in many pockets of the country, and we stand united against the violence that mass immigration has created,” one post reads. “We urge you to get on board with us and help to create a mass movement for change.”
Posing as a possible recruit, I got into contact via email expressing interest. An official quickly got back to me, encouraging my attendance at their upcoming conference in September in the West Midlands – another popular chapter.
When asked, the official also said: “Yes there is momentum, but we need all the support we can get.”
Chairman Smith wrote on Twitter/X about the conference, claiming that there will be guests from “across the broad patriotic spectrum”.
“We've just confirmed another fantastic panel member for the ‘What is sensible Nationalism and how do we sell it to the people’ discussion,” he added.
Have you booked your ticket to the @Homeland_Party conference in September yet? We've just confirmed another fantastic panel member for the "What is sensible Nationalism and how do we sell it to the people" discussion which also includes the opportunity for attendees to question…
— Kenny Smith (@KennySmithHP) August 7, 2024
Another member on the groups’ main Telegram claimed that current “MPs and MEPs” will be joining.
Homeland are certainly not the only far-right group active in Scotland, however.
Active Club Scotland – which has been described as a “Fascist martial arts club” – launched in May 2023.
ACS was the first of its kind in the UK and aligned itself with the international Active Club network. First promoted in 2017 by American far-right activist Robert Rundo, there are Active Club chapters across the United States and worldwide.
The idea with the Active Club movement is to combine physical exercise with far-right beliefs, with members often pictured (faces blurred) training in martial arts and going on hikes.
The group even hosted members of Patriot Front (above) – a Texas-based white supremacist group – in Scotland this July. Images posted to Telegram show men hiking, wrestling and boxing – sometimes topless (below).
The idea with the Active Club movement is to combine physical exercise with far-right beliefs. But Lawrence told The Sunday National that it is more sinister than that.
“I think ACS want to be a kind of vanguard of a wider fascist movement,” he said.
“It's often not explicitly stated, but there's this kind of underlying belief that society might collapse at any moment and a race war might be on the horizon."
Lawrence added: “So they're doing what they can to be ready for that, to develop a capacity for violence.”
The Scottish group is led by Scott Cowan, who has attended PA demonstrations and was also previously involved with other short-lived far-right groups like the Scottish Defence League.
As violence and far-right riots spread across England after the Southport stabbing, ACS was much more aggressive in its use of language (below).
“Many are aware about what’s occurring in England, Our English brothers are taking a stand against the repeated violence against our people and the ever increasing oppressive anti white British government,” a post on their Telegram chat with over 1700 followers said last week.
“As we watch on it only highlights the need and necessity for all men in Scotland to tribe up and stick together or we will be next.”
The post also quoted Scotland’s national motto in Latin – Nemo me impune lacessit (or 'No one provokes me with impunity').
Another post said: “Wake Up White Man!”
“I think all of us as politicians, as people with public profiles, have a huge responsibility,” said Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman (below).
“And I’d like both the UK Government and Scottish Government to be very outspoken that fascism should have no place in the UK, should have no place in Scotland.”
She added: “But all of that is kind of responsive. And I think there's something really about trying to understand why this is happening now.
“We've had the best part of 20 years of austerity and the far right views that are designed to divide and scapegoat and cause unrest are able to thrive when people look around and feel that they don't have the services they need.
“They can't find the jobs they want. They don't have the access to healthcare or education they should have. And so we have a responsibility, collectively, ar all layers of government, to ensure that we are doing whatever we can to make the political and economic choices to build community.
“Not using our political decisions to actively divide.”
A Homeland Party spokesperson said: "The Homeland Party and its chairman, Kenny Smith, disavow any groups that condone incitement or acts of violence. The Homeland Party is committed to peaceful, democratic, and lawful means to pursue change in the United Kingdom. Comparing peaceful and orderly protests to attacks on hotels housing migrants during these recent riots is irresponsible and dishonest."
Active Club Scotland have not responded to an approach for comment.
