STV NewsThe First Minister has said police were right to intervene over “bogus claims” circulated on social media following a stabbing in Stirling.
John Swinney visited Edinburgh Central Mosque on Monday to meet members of the Muslim community to offer them reassurance after several places of worship were targeted in riots across England.
Days of violent protests and unrest south of the border and in Northern Ireland followed the murders of three young girls in Southport at a Taylor Swift dance class.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused of the attack and appeared in court earlier this week, but false claims spread online that the suspect was a Muslim and an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.
ITVPolice in England have made 378 arrests so far since disorder broke out last week.
The Prime Minister called for perpetrators to be named and shamed as he announced a “standing army” of specialist police officers was being assembled to crack down on rioting.
English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson has been posting running commentary on the riots, describing the disored as the result of “legitimate concerns”.
The 41-year-old, who is currently somewhere in the Mediterranean while a warrant for his arrest remains active in the UK, has promoted gatherings across the UK including one planned for Glasgow on September 7.
Swinney said it was “clear” social media was playing a role in inciting the type of violence that had been seen over the weekend.
It came after a 21-year-old woman was stabbed in Stirling which prompted mass speculation over the man arrested in connection with the incident.
Police Scotland made the unusual decision to release a description of the man arrested.
“That’s why I think Police Scotland were absolutely right to intervene on Saturday, to quell the information that was being put out about the incident in Stirling which was completely bogus,” he told STV News.
Police Scotland said it was prepared if violence and disorder like that seen in several English cities happens in Scotland, but added there is currently no intelligence to suggest any similar tensions.
The riots in England saw asylum seekers refugees, and Muslims and their mosques targeted.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, himself a Muslim, said the incident in Southport had been “hijacked by far-right thugs”.
He said: “We all have an equal stake in wanting a prosperous future for our country. We all want to get on, we all want our children to do well.”
“We want to build a tolerant, peaceful, loving society, not people using a tragedy that happened in Southport the people that should be thought about here are those people that are grieving the loss of a loved one, or that community that’s hurting right now.”
Sarwar added that those rioting are trying to incite violence on streets “for their own political ends”.
“Instead, that situation has been hijacked by far-right thugs who are trying to incite violence on our streets for their own political ends, that’s not acceptable.
“And that’s why we have got to pull all our communities together and build on all of us and challenge the politics of us versus them.”
Callum Fisher, 29, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court charged with assault to severe injury and attempted murder. He made no plea, was remanded in custody and is due to appear in court again within eight days.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
