Far-right has no place on our streets, says Swinney after Glasgow demo

The “far-right has no place” in Scotland, John Swinney has said as he condemned balaclava-clad demonstrators “doing Nazi salutes on the streets of our country”.

The First Minister hit out at the behaviour of a “limited number” of individuals in Glasgow at the weekend.

The group were part of a counter-protest to an anti-racism rally in the city on Saturday.

Stand Up To Racism organised the “Reclaim Our Streets – Stand Up To The Far-Right” demonstration following disorder last week in the wake of a knife attack in Belfast.

Some in the small counter-protest group performed what appeared to be Nazi salutes as the two groups gathered on Buchanan Street in the city centre.

Swinney told MSPs on Tuesday that Scotland should be a “welcoming and inclusive country”.

During First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, he spoke about the “contrast on the streets of Glasgow” between the “many thousands of peaceful individuals, setting out their welcome to refugees” and a “limited number of balaclava-wearing individuals doing Nazi salutes”.

Hitting out at this group, Swinney said: “I could not condemn those individuals and their behaviour more strongly today in this Parliament.

“This is a welcoming country and the behaviour of the far-right has no place on our streets.”