First Minister has held further talks with
Police Scotland to receive a further update on preparedness
should any disorder emerge in Scotland over the weekend.
Throughout the week the First Minister has remained in regular
contact with Police Scotland to discuss the ongoing situation and
support work to promote community cohesion across the
country.
Earlier this week he brought faith and refugee community leaders
together and held talks with leaders of political parties and
Police Scotland to unequivocally condemn all forms of violence,
prejudice and Islamophobia. The First Minister has also
written to X, Meta and TikTok to ask what action they are taking
to combat the spread of misinformation, and to address racist and
hateful material on their platforms.
The First Minister said:
“The last few days have been a challenging and worrying time for
many with the scenes of violence unfolding in other parts of the
United Kingdom.
"I would like to thank Police Scotland for their continued work
to protect our communities. Their ongoing engagement across
Scotland and enhanced patrols are vital to support community
cohesion and ensure public safety.
“We remain vigilant to the potential for disorder in Scotland and
I have been reassured by Police Scotland that it has the
capability and resources in place to respond should we face
similar challenges, and that plans and preparations are in place
to ensure everybody is kept safe.
“While officers and staff are doing their part to keep us all
safe - there is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and
each of us has a responsibility to confront racism and religious
prejudice, including islamaphobia, wherever and whenever it
appears, and do all we can to strengthen community cohesion.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said:
“Officers right across Scotland continue to provide reassurance
to communities across the country through enhanced patrols and
direct engagement. You may see more officers in our towns and
cities and we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure any
potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified
quickly and responded to immediately.”
ENDS
First Minister meets faith
representatives and political leaders - gov.scot
(www.gov.scot)
Social media companies
need to address online hate - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
