Right wing dog whistles are stoking attacks - Lesley Macinnes
On Friday people across Edinburgh were shocked by the sight of a man armed with knives aggressively attacking people and property. When he was overpowered, there were five people left injured, property damaged and communities seriously frightened.
Our thanks go to the public who alerted police and to the police officers who stopped his actions. Without their professionalism and quick-thinking it could have had a much worse outcome. And our collective care must go to those injured in this incident. The lasting effects on them will be difficult to heal.
Although we must wait for the police to finish their investigation to get definitive answers about why this attack took place and why he appears to have targeted our Muslim community and neighbours, we need to call out this kind of incident for what it is – a violent rage against other religions, skin colour and ‘difference’. There is no place for such hatred, violence and intolerance in Edinburgh or in Scotland.
With the rise of right-wing commentary and the kind of language being used by some politicians and media, the stage has been set for many more incidents like this. The dog whistles are not hidden, they are loud and clear.
When we hear the Reform leaders in our Scottish Parliament talking about ‘strangers’ and echoing language used by our current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, we need to sit up and listen.
Not to agree but to notice. Notice the creeping change in how social media is being used to ignite that hatred and violence, notice the myths being created about immigrants bringing violence and threats to our lives, notice where the money and leadership is coming from that fuel attacks and protests on asylum seekers’ accommodation.
The people leading this change in how our society views immigrants do not have the interests of ordinary families at the heart of what they are doing. They are led by the very rich, concerned with protecting other rich people, not with making lives better for the rest of us.
But they are interested in making us fight among ourselves, distracting us from holding them accountable for the mess the UK is in – rising cost of living, energy bills through the roof and a UK government which promised change and delivered more chaos.
Immigrants to Scotland, our New Scots, are not to blame for any of this. Look for the real culprits instead.
Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Leader of the SNP Edinburgh Council Group and Councillor for Liberton Gilmerton