Glasgow’s response to fascism
After facing enmity from politically oppositional groups as well as from the Scottish Police Force, the Scottish voice of freedom from discrimination spoke again this Saturday morning, in the protest held at 10:30 in George Square.
In a world that, from the limitations of lockdown, is now facing a widespread and quick capitulation in enormous social gatherings of protestors and activists all over the globe, Glasgow emerges today, raising its voice against both racism and fascism. The event was organised by the people of Glasgow to show what a united response to these issues looks like, in the light of recent events.
After the demonstrations of Wednesday 17thJune, when members of far right groups turned up to oppose the peaceful protest against the maltreatment of refugees, movements from all over Glasgow’s political landscape, including Stand Up To Racism, Campaign to Welcome Refugees and Black Lives Matter in their Glasgow branches, came together today for International UN Refugee Day to speak against fascism, racism and discrimination.
During the happenings of Wednesday evening’s gathering, conducted in support of asylum seekers to end hotel detention which many are facing at the moment, barricades of policemen were seen shielding the peaceful protesters from far right militants and loyalists who were present once more, after the protest had previously been rescheduled from the Saturday to the Wednesday to avoid clashes. The ridiculous claim of these groups was the ‘protection of statues’, that practically translated to their standing in front of a cenotaph with flags while endorsing threatening approaches towards the demonstrators, as the refugee protest proceeded in the Western corner of the square. However, one day later through the statement of Chairman David Hamilton released to media on 18thJune 2020, the Police Federation took a stance, claiming the right to protest culpable in the name of ‘the health of our nation’. This ‘breaking of the law’ in the eyes of the Chairman sees those who defend statues, and enact violent behaviours towards other members of the social community, as culpable as those who have decided to appeal to the greater value of an ideal that is the defence of human rights.
To leave one’s home in the midst of a pandemic, in order to ensure that those who are most endangered will be able to have the safety and dignity they have been deprived of, is not the same as standing (mostly mask-less and hostile, unlike most protesters) to oppose those basic human rights.
If one is prepared to support these accusations and recognise both stances as criminal, turning blind to the radical need for humanism and fundamental rights, then one is choosing to obey, rather than listen. We must be open to understanding the language of justice in order to move, as a nation, towards a brighter future.
Scotland is a country which has historically refused to become indifferent to injustice and oppression by standing proudly with justice and solidarity, in order to leave no one behind. When this basic stance is endangered or refuted by others, it must be reaffirmed until each and every member of the Scottish community is assured the dignity and justice they deserve. The real danger is indifference: we cannot, as a social body, ignore the small yet crucial tumours of hatred that are growing against the grain. This is not simply a legal issue, this is a human stance. We must choose to stand with morality and humanity. The response coming from the people of Glasgow today, was the same which was pronounced in the past and will journey towards the future: we are here to welcome, not distance.
