Anti-racism demonstrators gather for counter-protests in Bathgate and Paisley

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Anti-racism demonstrations have taken place in Scotland for the first time following the disorder elsewhere in the UK.

The campaign group Stand Up To Racism Scotland (SUTRS) organised the counter-protests in the towns of Bathgate in West Lothian and Paisley in Renfrewshire.

In Bathgate, demonstrators carrying banners and placards gathered outside the Cairn Hotel on Blackburn Road, which is used to house asylum seekers.

Placards carried by members of the crowd bore slogans that included “refugees welcome”, “smash fascism & racism” and “stop the far right”.

In a post on X promoting the event, SUTRS said: “After Wednesday’s stunning antifascist mobilisations, drive the racist far-right out of our streets.”

The post added: “Stop any intimidation & harassment at Cairn Hotel. Calling on local anti-racists to come together this evening.”

Trade union banners could also be seen in the crowd that gathered in the West Lothian sunshine on Friday evening.

A similar demonstration took place at the same time outside the Watermill Hotel in Paisley.

Prior to these events there had been no far-right demonstrations, or counter protests, in Scotland.

Further anti-racism protests are planned in a number of Scottish cities on Saturday.

Earlier, it was revealed that John Swinney had written a letter to X, TikTok, and Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – saying police chiefs in Scotland have raised concern at the length of time it takes for technology companies to remove “problematic” posts.

In it, the First Minister told social media bosses: “It is clear to me that social media platforms have a duty to take action to ensure that individuals in our society are not subjected to hate and threatening behaviour, and that communities are protected from violent disorder.”

He added: “Everyone has a role in stopping the spread of misinformation. You and your platform have a specific responsibility to do so.”

The social media giants have been told to set out how they are combating racist and hateful speech spread across the platforms, with Mr Swinney adding: “Given the seriousness of the situation, action needs to be immediate and decisive.”

Pressure has been growing on social media giants in recent days, with former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf describing X, formerly Twitter, owner Elon Musk as “one of the most dangerous men” on the planet at a talk in Edinburgh on Thursday.

Digital Ofcom watchdogs also wrote to social media bosses to remind them of their obligation to remove dangerous communication.