THE First Minister has held further talks with Police Scotland to receive an update on preparedness should any disorder emerge in Scotland over the weekend.
It comes as we told how Police Scotland will send more than 100 officers to Northern Ireland to help with riots in Belfast.
Far-right violence erupted in England and Northern Ireland in the wake of the stabbing of three young girls in Southport.
It has not spread north of the Border although Police did issue a statement on Wednesday to say that they had “no intelligence” to suggest a march was to take place in George Square that day despite unverified social media reports claiming this to be the case.
John Swinney said: “The last few days have been a challenging and worrying time for many with the scenes of violence unfolding in other parts of the United Kingdom.
The First Minister’s written to X, TikTok and Meta urging them to tackle online hate@JohnSwinney says they’re not doing enough to combat the spread of misinformation He’s also had further talks with Police Scotland about preparedness for potential disorder here pic.twitter.com/Z3zH2GkXxv
— Alan Smith (@Political_AlanS) August 9, 2024
“I would like to thank Police Scotland for their continued work to protect our communities. Their ongoing engagement across Scotland and enhanced patrols are vital to support community cohesion and ensure public safety.”
The First Minister visited Edinburgh Central Mosque earlier this week and has unequivocally condemned all forms of violence, prejudice and Islamophobia.
He has also written to Twitter/X, Meta and TikTok to ask what action they are taking to combat the spread of misinformation, and to address racist and hateful material on their platforms.
“We remain vigilant to the potential disorder in Scotland and I have been reassured by Police Scotland that it has the capability and resources in place to respond should we face similar challenges, and that plans and preparations are in place to ensure everybody is kept safe,” Swinney added.
“While officers and staff are doing their part to keep us all safe - there is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and each of us has a responsibility to confront racism and religious prejudice, including Islamophobia, wherever and whenever it appears, and do all we can to strengthen community cohesion.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Officers right across Scotland continue to provide reassurance to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and direct engagement.
"You may see more officers in our towns and cities and we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.”
