A man wrongly accused of filming children at a Glasgow park during an anti-immigration protest has told STV News that he’s been left “fearing for his life”.
Quoroum Beg was at the park near his home in the Gorbals with his children last Sunday evening when a protest arrived.
The 43-year-old, who was born in Glasgow and has lived in the area with his family for four years, said he challenged the crowd, but was hounded with racist abuse.
A clip portraying him as a predator has since been widely shared online, leading to far-right activist Tommy Robinson labelling him an “invader”.
Speaking to STV News, Mr Beg said he was made aware of an approaching demonstration in the nearby streets while he was at the park with his family.
All of those in the park, including Mr Beg, left the area. After returning his children home, he then made his way back to the park to stage a counter-protest.
As the march passed by, the 43-year-old began filming and was confronted by a protester.
Mr Beg shouted towards the protesters: “I’m not afraid of you, keep on walking”.
After some of the demonstrators started to shout back at him, a police officer told the dad not to shout or “antagonise” the group.
Following further confrontations, the police guided Mr Beg away towards a playground where he sat on a swing.
In another clip, filmed by a protester, a woman is heard asking, “Why is he filming kids?” as he sat on the swing.
The dad responds that he is filming the protest. A chant of “get him out” is then heard as Quroum is led away by police.
The clip has since been shared by Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Steven Yaxley-Lennon, with the words: “Another invader hanging around a park filming children. Glasgow again too!”
It has been viewed more than 120,000 times according to X.
Police Scotland has given Mr Beg access to a special urgent police response on his phone for his safety following the incident.
He has not only been left concerned for himself but also for his children.
“I told them ‘we see you, we all see who you are and what you are doing’. They came to our doorstep, and I felt that I had to take a stand because I saw all my neighbours being fearful and leaving the park.
“I’m the fourth generation in this country, my children will be the fifth generation here. If I don’t make a stand, then who else is going to do that?
“I’m starting to question what being Scottish is anymore”, the dad told STV News.
“I’m concerned that authorities aren’t taking this seriously. They are letting these marches carry on.
“Then they share stuff like this, and there is no support. It makes me question whether I have a future here.
“I would always call myself Scottish, now these people are questioning it.”
A second anti-immigration march is due to take place in the Gorbals area this week. Mr Beg is urging those planning to attend the demonstration to “get off social media and get their facts right”.
He added: “These false narratives affect everything people do and their day-to-day lives.
“It affects their families and everybody around them. People need to think if sharing these narratives online is something they are proud of.
“I haven’t been able to sleep since then. People are sharing things all over the world, so I worry about people recognising me without seeing the full context of what happened around it.
STV News understands that Police Scotland is treating the claims made by protesters in the video and social media users regarding Mr Beg as completely inaccurate.
‘Gorbals is a welcoming and diverse community’
Dani Waddell, manager at Crossroads Youth and Community Association, said the Gorbals has always been “welcoming, diverse, and multicultural”.
She said: “The community that comes into Crossroads is very diverse, there are really strong connections, it’s a very proud community, and there is a very strong sense of community, which is great to be part of.
“For a few years in a row, we’ve done a multicultural event, it’s about celebrating people, it’s about celebrating culture, the things that make us unique, but the things that bring us together, and I think the main thing that we found is the food, the music for us has been something that we’ve seen that will bring people together.
“For me, I’ve learned so much from this job. I’ve learned more about people, but I think fundamentally in terms of Crossroads, the theme is that there is much more that people have in common than the things that divide us.
“There’s a real mix of people and families here that have been here for a long time, and there are people that are new, that are moving into the area.
“Everybody should feel that warmth and that welcome because it exists, and I would say it is strong, and I hope that it continues to be for years to come. “
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