Police plan protest crackdown... over human rights of asylum seekers

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 15:09, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 15:11, 30 July 2026 Police are planning a crackdown on protests at asylum accommodation after warning the ‘human rights’ of the residents may have been breached. Bosses raised concern that repeated demonstrations outside the hotels and other buildings where asylum seekers live can have an impact on residents and staff. Police Scotland is considering ‘whether the cumulative impact of repeated protest in the same place impacts on the human rights of the occupants’. It has ‘sought guidance from a number of sources including legal services and… human right advisers’ which could lead to police dispersing protesters in cases where the rights of asylum seekers may have been breached. Former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher criticised the move, warning that it ‘looks like the police will be undertaking more robust activity in respect of protests’. He said: ‘For me, this is exactly the wrong move and will likely lead to violence. Events in Glasgow show this is becoming an ever-more contentious issue – allegations of so-called two-tier policing abound. ‘If the police now abandon the approach to protest they have taken so far at these locations then they will be playing into the hands of those who wish to portray the police as taking sides. ‘The answer in this situation lies in recognising that there is something driving many ordinary folk to protest, and trying to understand then mitigate what this is. Simply calling people “far Right” has made things far worse.’ Unrest: Anti-migrant protesters at the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk A report by Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, to be considered by the Scottish Police Authority at its public board meeting in Edinburgh today, said: ‘Specific consideration will be given to the impact of repeat protest at a single location, in particular where this relates to asylum accommodation. ‘There is a need to consider the impact of repeat protest on the rights of the occupants and staff of such premises and to consider whether further enforcement action by police meets the relevant thresholds in legislation and if so, how that can be achieved.’ Police were deployed to an average of six protests a day last year amid a surge in anti-migrant demos. Officers oversaw 2,190 demonstrations in 2025 – a 19 per cent rise on the total for 2024. On Saturday, a Unite the Clans rally in Glasgow descended into ‘racist thuggery’ as hooded yobs clashed with pro-immigration activists. Police Scotland revealed 80 per cent of 83 counter-protests so far this year were in response to anti-immigration demos.  The report also stated: ‘The demand on policing is intensive and consistent. Most of these cases relate to individuals or groups who have initially been involved in legitimate protest, but whose behaviour has deteriorated to where it becomes criminal. ‘There have also been individuals and groups using the guise of protest to engage in blatant criminality or to promote more extremist ideology, specifically racist, framed as legitimate activity carried out in defence of communities.’ Since last August, more than half of 144 anti-migrant protests have taken place at the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk over its housing of asylum seekers. An Afghan, Sadeq Nikzad, stayed at the hotel and raped a 15-year-old girl in the town after claiming asylum in the UK. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: ‘Too many communities feel like protesting is the only way to have their voices heard. ‘The right to peaceful protest is a cherished part of our democracy and must be protected, regardless of where it takes place. ‘Police Scotland must continue to strike the right balance by allowing lawful protest while taking a zero-tolerance approach to anyone who resorts to intimidation, violence or criminality.’ Meanwhile, Police Scotland also raised concern over protests described as ‘silent vigils’ where people dressed in black have gathered in public places and ‘arranged themselves in military- style ranks to carry out a wreath-laying ceremony’. The protests have been ‘peaceful in nature and recorded before being shared online’. Police Scotland said: ‘They have however had significant community impact and will continue to be monitored and assessed.’