Can Falkirk come together amid divisive immigration debate?

Falkirk has become the epicentre of the immigration debate in Scotland.

The town has seen multiple protests over the housing of asylum seekers in the Cladhan Hotel, with the anger seeping into everyday life in the community.

It’s causing deep divisions in the area and has divided neighbours, friends and colleagues.

Record numbers of people are entering the UK, some illegally via small boats, and there is frustration that the UK Government is failing to get to grips with the issue.

STV News has spoken to people in Falkirk to gauge their views on the recent unrest.

Sharon Tully – local resident

Sharon Tully has been protesting outside the Cladhan for weeks and is worried about her family’s safety.

“Nobody’s making sure we’re safe, we aren’t safe on the streets,” she told STV News.

“I would like somebody to be honest with us, tell us what’s going on with the men in the hotel, stop covering things up. People are getting charged.”

Sharon refers to the case of one of the hotel’s residents, who is accused of flashing, making obscene gestures and performing sex acts out of a window.

Said Ageed, 23, is due to stand trial in November.

“I think this community’s feelings are valid – we are worried and we are scared. It’s the same all over Britain at the moment, it’s happening everywhere.

“It annoys me (to be branded a racist). I’ve done two years working with communities, it’s nothing to do with religion, it’s nothing to do with colour. If it was a white person doing it I would be saying the exact same.

“It’s nothing to do with race. I hate the far right; I’m not far-right.

“This community will keep protesting and doing as much as it possibly can until our voices are heard.”

Claire Mackie Brown – Reform UK councillor

The rape of a local schoolgirl by an Afghan asylum seeker – in broad daylight – sparked vitriol in the area earlier this year.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the rapist was placed back in the hotel following the attack, sparking anger over a perceived lack of transparency.

Some argued the attack gave people an excuse to demonise all asylum seekers, while others said it validated their concerns about people living in the hotel.

“It was covered up by the media,” said local Reform UK councillor Claire Mackie Brown.

“It all comes back to communication and not knowing what is going on. The narrative of racism is what’s being played out in the media – that’s being used to justify how people are feeling.

“People are truly concerned about what is being allowed to happen in their town, they have questions that aren’t being answered.”

Earlier this year, Sadeq Nikzad was found guilty of raping a 15-year-old girl he had followed along a street in Falkirk.

He was given a 12-year extended sentence comprising nine years in custody and three years of supervision upon release.

“I think the defence used by the convicted rapist of not understanding cultural differences is where this has flared up,” said Mackie Brown. “I think that’s where the anger has come from on that specific rape.”

She insists her political focus is on restoring unity in the area.

She added: “I’ve been around town centres, I’ve had conversations with Falkirk Council, I’m in with the police, I had a meeting set up with Mears Group [which manages the Cladhan hotel], which they cancelled.

“I’m trying my hardest to bring community cohesion because I really feel it is a volcano at the moment and that needs to stop – we need to come together.

“There is a true unrest – and it’s scary as a local resident, somebody who was born and bred here.”

Ahmed Haja, local businessman

The Falkirk area has faced a series of significant economic setbacks. Jobs have been lost at the nearby Grangemouth oil refinery, and the Scottish Government has intervened in an effort to save another major employer – bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 people in the area have registered as homeless.

These challenges are beginning to affect everyday life in the town. Some long-time residents have shared that they’re now experiencing levels of racist abuse and hostility they’ve never encountered before.

Ahmed Haja has been a local business owner for more than two decades.

But the intensity of the protests are changing his views on his adoptive home.

“The group are concerned about illegal immigrants, they’re not against everyone,” said Ahmed.

“When I moved here, and I’m still here, my family, my boys all born here, I have been given an open-handed welcome from this place, never had any issue.

“In recent times, with things happening at the hotel, it is affecting the image of Falkirk.”

Muna Ausat – Friends of Falkirk

Muna - Friends of Falkirk. — Muna – Friends of Falkirk. STV News

Cracking down on misinformation is now the focus of pro-immigration campaigners.

Muna Ausat attends counterprotests to support people living in the Cladhan Hotel. But even she is becoming fearful of her own safety.

She said: “When we’re at the protests, we’re being watched or being filmed. Several members of our group have been doxxed, So people have turned up at their houses.

“Our photos are being posted on social media and we just don’t know where it’s going to lead, what it’s going to lead to.

“The vast majority of Falkirk people are not racist, not at all, and calling them racist is not helpful. They’re also not right-wing. They have unfortunately been manipulated and are being infiltrated by certain elements.

“The only way that we’re going to bring an end to all the protests and restore the reputation of our town is if we talk.

“We need to talk, sit together and actually iron out and sort out what is true? What’s hearsay and what are downright lies.”