Reform UK's deputy Scottish leader Thomas Kerr is set to go on a 'vigilante' street patrol organised by a fascist anti-immigration…
REFORM UK's deputy Scottish leader Thomas Kerr is set to go on a "vigilante" street patrol organised by a far-right anti-immigration group. The Glasgow MSP said he would "really welcome" the opportunity to go on a walk of the city with the Scots Active group, which advocates for "mass deportations" and arming Scots against "invaders". Scots Active, founded by Darren Docherty last year, is said to be inspired by the white supremacist "active clubs" seen in the US and Eastern Europe.
The far-right group undertakes masked street patrols under the guise of protecting the local community, and frequently attends anti-immigration protests in Glasgow. It comes as Kerr was accused of "sickening fearmongering" after filming himself going on a "walkabout" in Glasgow and claiming that the city is full of "disorder, intimidation, and neglect". A video he shared online featured numerous clips of non-white people in an attempt to link what he called the city's "lawlessness" to migration. Asked if Kerr had any proof that the people he claimed were "migrants" were not from Scotland, Reform UK did not respond. Earlier this week, a Scottish man became the target of far-right abuse after false claims circulated online that he was an "invader".
In response to Kerr's video, the Scots Active account commented: "Thomas you should come on a walk with Scots Active and we will show you the horrible side of Glasgow, worse than you've seen allready it vile [sic]". Kerr said in response: "I would really welcome that opportunity, please contact my office and we'll arrange: [email protected]."
The Daily Record reports members of Scots Active have a WhatsApp group titled "Get These C**** Out!", and The National has also seen evidence of the account referring to migrants as "c****". According to the Record, Scots Active members attended an anti-immigration protest in Glasgow on June 13, in which individuals reportedly targeted ethnic minorities and made Nazi salutes. The group's official Facebook page has shared posts about wanting to arm Scots with guns, with a number of members commenting in response about needing them against "invaders", with one user adding "who knows what they've got in the mosques", and another saying: "You can use my house as a weapons stash if you want." Scots Active once posted "fuck multiculturalism", before liking a comment from another user underneath which read: "Get them all to fuck out off our citys .our country WHITE LIVES MATTER". The account also endorsed a comment which called on members to find out where migrants are being housed "and get homeless in there squating [sic] before migrants are moved in", and to "change the locks", which they said would "cause so much problems for the councils".
And following the Holyrood election in May, the group shared a post referring to Scottish Greens MSP Iris Duane as a "thing". "If you voted for these things you need locked up with them in foamy cells till you work out wit the fuck is wrong with you ... how this is able to run for any position of power and not in a mental health institution is beyond me," the account wrote. The group denies it is racist and urged critics not to "confuse opposition to illegal immigration with racism". "Scots Active categorically rejects any attempt to portray us as Nazis, racists or extremists," the group said in a statement on July 1 in response to criticism in the media. "We have never stood for hatred based on race or ethnicity. Our concerns have always been about illegal immigration, community safety and the issues affecting local communities." SNP MSP Colm Merrick called on Kerr to "cancel his plans to meet up with this group and apologise for engaging with this hate-fuelled gang". “Groups such as these are deliberately stirring up hatred in our communities by spreading misinformation to stoke fear," he told The National. “Our elected politicians should be condemning them in the strongest possible terms rather than cosying up to them to fuel their own toxic agendas." The Scottish Greens accused Kerr of "legitimising extremist groups".
MSP Maggie Chapman told The National: "Dressing up and calling yourselves a 'community patrol' doesn't wash when you're doing it masked, at night, filming members of the public, and putting the fear into people just trying to get home. "The clear intent of Thomas Kerr walking down a dark street with a group of masked men carrying cameras behind him is to threaten and intimidate people."
Chapman said that Kerr "may not understand that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce", but that "he’s providing ample evidence of that truth". She continued: "We don’t need politicians legitimising extremist groups that perform Nazi salutes. We need representatives who stand up to hatred, defend our diverse communities and make it clear that fascist intimidation has no place on our streets.” Meanwhile, Stand Up to Racism Scotland said that "it comes as no real surprise that Thomas Kerr is now planning to join a fascist street patrol". A spokesperson told The National: "Kerr continues to comment on social media about 'invasion' to demonise refugees and asylum seekers for problems affecting working class people, just like his millionaire bosses do. "Kerr’s parliamentary support to the vigilante street movement comes at a dangerous time when these masked up groups have been organising near daily, racist street demonstrations in some of Glasgow’s most deprived communities. "They have spread misinformation to whip up fear and hysteria, to direct it at migrants, refugees and anyone they see as ‘foreign’. They are trying to replicate the racist pogroms that we have seen this summer." The spokesperson added: "They don’t care about women’s safety or the local communities they scaremonger with misinformation and racist scapegoating. They are only interested in building a far-right movement."
