Headline snip with pic of masked men and text reading "White Lives Matter protest in Glasgow slammed in wake of Belfast horror stabbing

Humanist Society condemns racist marches across Scotland in wake of Belfast stabbing

June 10, 2026

Asylum and Migration

These scenes represent the opposite of the Scotland are trying to build.

Humanist Society Scotland condemns the violent scenes that unfolded in Glasgow last night, which saw masked men walking through the city centre, intimidating passers by and, according to a report from Glasgow Stand Up to Racism, stealing a delivery driver’s bike and physically attacking people. Other, similar demonstrations were held in Edinburgh and Ayr.

These spontaneous far-right marches follow the stabbing of a man in Belfast, for which a charge of attempted murder has already been laid. Last night proves that Scotland is not immune to the kind of racist violence that recenlty erupted in England following the tragic murder of Henry Nowak.

We want to express solidarity with other faith and belief groups in Scotland in condemning this attack, in particular Sikh, Muslim, and Christian groups. We also need to acknowledge that a small fringe of far-right activists has weaponised Christian imagery and slogans over the past few years to advance a deeply divisive nationalist agenda.

Bigoted Christian nationalism of this type has no place in our culture. These scenes represent the opposite of the Scotland we want to see: one defined by tolerance, rationality, collaboration, and equality.

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