Leader of Falkirk anti-immigration protest fined for abusing police officer

The leader of a group opposed to illegal migration, involved in months of protests outside an asylum-seekers’ hotel, could be electronically tagged after he admitted swearing and abusing a police officer.

Connor Graham, 28, organiser of Save Our Futures & Our Kids’ Futures until it disbanded just in Janaury, admitted swearing and abusing a police officer outside the Hotel Cladhan in Falkirk on December 6.

The hotel has been used by the Home Office for housing asylum-seekers.

Graham, of Stenhousemuir, Stirlingshire, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm.

He admitted to acting aggressively, shouting, swearing, and uttering threatening and derogatory remarks to a PC, who was then on duty. One of the “derogatory remarks” is said to have been a disablist slur against the officer.

Graham was not arrested at the time, but attended Falkirk Police Station a few days later after becoming aware police wanted him.

Solicitor Simon Hutchison, defending, said Graham had started the protests in the summer of 2025.

“He had sincerely-held beliefs in relation to deficiencies in community safety and most importantly problems caused by unchecked immigration and crimes caused by some of these people,” he said.

“He helped by peaceful protests to bring these concerns to the public.”

Mr Hutchison said Graham disbanded the protest group after the Cladhan protests were “hijacked by the far right”.

Mr Hutchison said: “It had got to a stage where his personal safety was compromised and he was having verbal attacks on him and his family.

“These protests had been peaceful for months.”

Mr Hutchison said Graham had “stupidly lost his temper” after the police officer pushed him back.

He said: “He is very, very sorry.”

The prosecution accepted Graham’s plea of not guilty to an allegation of attempting to incite violence.

The court heard Graham had long record of previous convictions – including for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified – and faces an outstanding allegation of fraud.

Imposing the £550 fine, Sheriff William Gilchrist told Graham: “It’s somewhat ironic that your claimed motivation for being there was concern about public safety – the irony being that you have a very extensive record yourself.

“It’s you who seem to be a risk to the local community, rather than individuals residing in this hotel.”

Outside court, Graham slammed the sheriff’s comments.

Graham said: “That’s outrageous, that’s madness, isn’t it, definitely. I’m an upstanding citizen of this community.”

But he said he accepted his fine.

He said: “If anybody commits a crime they should be able to deal with the punishment. I did make a mistake on that day by calling the officer what I called him.”