Neo-Nazi, ‘white nationalist’ and banned terrorist group flags at far-right demonstration
Police are investigating a far-right demonstration where neo-Nazi, ‘white nationalist’ and banned terrorist group flags were flown on Princes Street.
Banners of the neo-Nazi Combat 18, the racist and antisemitic Patriotic Alternative and anti-Islamic Scottish Defence League were displayed at the demonstration at the east end of Princes Street on Saturday, 15 August. Another carried the name of the proscribed terrorist organisation the Ulster Defence Association.
The demonstration, attended by extremists from the north-west of England, comes amid growing concern about far-right activists trying to exploit racial tensions in the capital.
Displaying the logo or flag of proscribed terrorist organisations is a criminal offence which can result in a jail sentence of up to six months.
Police Scotland said it was aware of photographs and videos of the demonstration circulating on social media and inquiries were on-going.
Banned terror group: The UDA claimed responsibility for hundreds of killings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The loyalist paramilitary group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Government in 1992, meaning it is a criminal offence to display logos on clothes or banners which suggest support of the group.
Racist and antisemitic: A Home Office report described Patriotic Alternative as “a racist and antisemitic Far Right group founded in 2019 by former BNP youth leader Mark Collett”. It goes on to say their members promote the Great Replacement conspiracy theory that “white indigenous European populations are being replaced by non-European immigrants”.
Call for action: Anti-racism groups such as Stand up to Racism Scotland are calling for the police to take action over the demonstration which they say was witnessed by police officers.
Anti-terror arrests: The force have previously used anti-terror laws to arrest left-wing activists supporting Palestine Action. Award-winning film scriptwriter Paul Laverty was among three people arrested in Edinburgh last August for wearing t-shirts with the Palestine Action name after the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.
Fuelling social tensions: The demonstration only attracted a few dozen people at most, but it comes amid concerns far-right groups are trying to fuel social tensions in the capital following two separate stabbing incidents. In March, Elon Musk and others spread misinformation about two stabbings in the Calders area which led to concerns of heightened racial tensions. In June, five people were stabbed in a series of attacks on Muslims across the city, including men leaving prayers at their mosque.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
TRAM PLAN: Proposals to build the proposed North-South, tram line from Granton to Little France via the city centre, in phases are expected to be discussed by the city council next month. The Edinburgh Evening News reports a lack of political agreement over the Roseburn Path route and technical concerns about the Orchard Brae alternative are likely to see the northern part of the £2-2.9bn line “shelved”. The Inquirer understands this is likely to see to proposals to approach the extension in phases with the southern section built first and decisions on the northern part delayed until further down the line being presented to councillors next month.
MORE BY THE SHORE: Some of the £5m Princes Street fire recovery fund could be used to fund discounted meals for city residents at venues on The Shore which have seen their takings nosedive while tram services have been disrupted. The city’s marketing service Forever Edinburgh is developing a More by the Shore campaign for the city council to promote Leith. The “Residents Rewards” discount vouchers is one idea being considered as well as a festive voucher scheme.
STICKER CHARGE: A 30-year-old woman has been charged with “culpable and reckless conduct” after two council street cleaning workers fell ill while removing stickers from a lamppost on Morningside Road. The workers were taken to hospital as a precaution on Thursday amid concerns they may have come into contact with a noxious substance. After tests, the substance found with blue and pink tape stuck to the lamppost was said to “pose no further threat to the public”.
D-DAY FOR FESTIVAL FUNDING: The issue of funding of the Festivals from Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy will return to the fore this week, with new proposals due to come before the council’s culture and communities committee on Friday. It follows an outcry over proposals which would have seen the Festivals lose money as a result of the new tax. The Festivals, venues and artists expect to pay around £1.1 million a year in Visitor Levy charges, with abandoned council plans proposing sharing an extra £550,000 between the Festivals and other cultural organisations.
TOURISM WORKERS: Theatre, gift shop and sports venue staff will be among those eligible to apply for the 111 flats being built for tourism industry workers using Visitor Levy funds. The flats will be available for mid-market rent, making them more affordable than private rentals. The city council has drawn up a definition of a tourist industry worker as part of its plans.
MORE FIREWORKS CONTROLS: New firework control zones will be established in Lochend; Liberton; Stenhouse/Gaskell; Wester Hailes and West Pilton under plans expected to be approved by councillors a meeting of the city’s culture and communities committee on Friday. That would give the police extra powers, such as dispersing groups of people, around Bonfire Night in 14 areas of the city, with control zones already in place in Balerno; Calton Hill; Corstorphine; Longstone; Moredun; Niddrie; Seafield; Sighthill/Broomhouse (Sighthill); and The Murrays (formerly Gracemount).
‘MR CORSTORPHINE’ TRIBUTES: Former city councillor Phil Wheeler has been remembered as “a wonderfully kind, thoughtful, and generous man” following his death at the age of 83. The Lib Dem who served as the city’s finance convener was described as “Mr Corstorphine”, an area where he lived for 50 years and was heavily involved with the local church.
‘DANGEROUS’ STREETS: The Living Streets Edinburgh charity has called for better management and enforcement of the capital’s “Summertime Streets” road closures and other measures to make the city safer for pedestrians at the busiest times of year. The charity shared footage of private hire cars driving unchallenged past barriers into the Cowgate when it was supposed to be closed to traffic. It also highlighted a lack of pedestrian space, “cluttered pavements and not enough time to cross the road”, saying the measures in place were “inadequate and…in places dangerous”.
JUST DELICIOUS: It’s all a question of good taste. Edinburgh has been named the best foodie destination in the UK by customers of the holiday accommodation firm Sykes Holiday Cottages, beating Padstow in Cornwall into second place.
AWAY DAYS: Edinburgh Rugby has partnered with Grassmarket sports bar The Black Bull as the official away hub for supporters when the team hits the road this season. Players and guest appearances are promised at the Signature hospitality group venue which will screen every Edinburgh fixture for the coming season.
HOSPITAL LEAK: Two heart treatment units have been temporarily closed as a result of a water leak at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The move comes amid concerns that tens of millions of pounds are needed to bring the hospital building up to scratch as it near the end of its Private Finance Initiative contract.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Topping times at The Caley
A major milestone has been reached in the creation of a nine-floor extension to Edinburgh’s Caledonian Hotel with the topping out of the structure’s steel frame.
The extension is a major part of a £35 million transformation of the storied hotel was first covered by the Inquirer in a popular story in March 2024, when it was announced by owners and property fund managers Henderson Park along with Klarent Hospitality. The hotel operates as part of Hilton’s exclusive Curio Collection.
The work is expected to add more than 90 bedrooms, taking the total to more than 300, as well as upgraded servicing and back-of-house infrastructure. Some other bedrooms are being renovated, and public areas restored.
PARKING FURORE: North Berwick Community Council is asking East Lothian Council to pause a controversial new town centre parking scheme amid claims some local businesses are losing between 20% and 60% of their revenues. The scheme was introduced despite heavy opposition, and more than half of the £111,000 it generated in its first two months of operation had to be spent repairing vandalised parking meters. The community council wants to see the scheme paused while a full review takes place.
FLOUR POWER: Edinburgh-founded bakery Company Bakery, which supplies some of the Capital’s most prestigious restaurants and hotels, is developing a new flour mill capable of processing 500 tonnes of wheat a year in East Lothian. Tantallon Mill, near North Berwick, will create four new full-time jobs as well as supporting local farmers and independent bakers.
HIGH DISTRESS: A report by insolvency specialists BTG Consulting has shown the number of Scottish companies in “critical financial distress” has risen by more than 20% in the second quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year. The report says that is more than twice the 9% increase experienced across the UK and identifies the increased levels as coming amid global economic uncertainty, and increased costs.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
BUSKING IT: The brilliant Big Beach Busk returns to Porty Prom from midday until 6pm on Saturday. Never been? Get a feel for what to expect from Sarah McArthur’s long read Rules? There are no rules. Just turn up and play.
THE LEGACY MUSEUM: Founded by US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, is recognised as one of the country’s most powerful recorders of the history of trans-Atlantic slavery and its legacy. You can catch its first international exhibition at the Playfair Library until Sunday as part of the International Festival. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance.
PALM HOUSES REOPENING: You can now book tickets to visit the newly-restored Palm Houses from October. Tickets cost from £4.95 for adults, with children free.
QUICK BITES
BARGE BAR AHOY: A new floating restaurant and bar is set to berth at Leith. A planning application has been lodged to transform the two-deck barge 1502 which is moored on The Shore at the end of Tower Street. The application has been lodged by Water of Leith 2000 Ltd.
IT’S ROASTING: A new café has opened in Bruntsfield. Cairngorm Coffee Roasters has opened the corner unit at 49 Barclay Place – the group’s second venue in the city with one already at Melville Street.