The National series highlights positive stories of refugees
Amidst the increasingly hostile political climate, we want to:
Showcase how refugees and asylum seekers across Scotland have brought positive impacts to their communities
Profile the people helping them to settle into their new homes
Show how those from refugee backgrounds are making a difference to public life in Scotland.
Challenge the misinformation and right-wing rhetoric dominating the conversation around refugees and asylum seekers
Last summer we saw riots kick off across England and Wales based on misinformation about asylum seekers, with protesters making violent threats towards them.
And in recent weeks, the far-right have increased their presence in Scotland – targeting a hotel in Falkirk and planning demonstrations in other towns and cities.
One protester was seen waving a flag reading "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out", while a speaker called to "keep Britain white" in a speech.
Meanwhile, politicians in England are standing up for those involved in these kinds of protests.
Poll after poll predicts a Reform majority at the next Westminster election. Though they are expected to make little progress in Scotland, they are expected to pick up a significant number of seats in Holyrood in 2026.
Journalists have a responsibility to correct misinformation and hateful rhetoric.
At The National, we choose to fight back against right-wing, anti-refugee commentary.
Of course it can be scary to stand up against those trying to spread hatred and division. However, more of us must do so if we want to stop it from growing even further.
From Monday to Friday, you can read our series "Refugees Are Welcome Here" in print and online.
Before you go: Please consider supporting The National with a subscription to help us produce more of this work challenging right-wing media narratives.
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Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Is the issue of violence against women being used as as a political tool?
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. Jon (MetroTalk, Thu) discusses the protests in Epping against the use of a hotel to house asylum seekers. He says they are based on concerns for the safety of women and girls and criticises government minister Jess Phillips for not voicing the same concerns. However, many of those claiming to protest in the name of women's safety – or supporting those who do – have defended Andrew Tate, who has been criticised for his misogynistic views. This raises serious doubts about their true motives. It appears that the issue of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is being co-opted as a political tool — a convenient cover for broader protests targeting asylum seekers and refugees. This tactic mirrors strategies seen in other parts of Europe. It's likely that the next step will be claiming to protect LGBTQ people from asylum seekers, despite the fact that many of these same individuals support policies that harm the LGBTQ community in the UK. Ultimately, it seems they are willing to exploit any marginalised group to advance their political agenda against asylum seekers and refugees. Alfiaz, London Some people seem to be seeing asylum seekers everywhere. No wonder they keep screaming, 'We're being invaded.' First, former Reform MP Rupert Lowe mistook charity rowers off Great Yarmouth for 'illegal immigrants'. Then residents in a Welsh village thought Scouts from Scotland must be migrants because of their accents. You can access completely fee-free mortgage advice with London & Country (L&C) Mortgages, a partner of Metro. Customers benefit from: – Award winning service from the UK's leading mortgage broker – Expert advisors on hand 7 days a week – Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won't charge you a fee for their advice. Find out how much you could borrow online Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Now caravan park operator Haven has had to issue a statement saying its facilities aren't being used to house asylum seekers. Apparently, it was sparked by social media posts claiming that 'coaches of men' had been turning up to some caravan parks. The UK is more than 94,000 square miles. At the end of March, there were nearly 110,000 asylum seekers – so barely one per square mile. The overall 68million UK population means there are more than 700 of us per square mile. It's unlikely you are going to see an asylum seeker today. Even if you do, please be nice – not racist. Peter Packham, Chair, Leeds for Europe How dare James Murray-Smith (MetroTalk, Thu) describe a tax on selling your home being considered by chancellor Rachel Reeves as a tax on 'unearned' wealth. Maybe he inherited his property unearned but the rest of us worked hard, often forgoing things, in order to get on the so-called property ladder. So no, it is not 'unearned', which implies undeserving. As to it being 'unavailable to those who do not own their own homes', so what? Is it the seller or home-owners' fault others don't own their homes? It's thinking like this that makes me despair! So much for getting to own your own home as so many of our young are struggling to do. Agatha, Surrey Some estate agents have warned that house-sellers will simply pass the cost of this tax on to buyers. They're wrong. The price of a house isn't controlled by what the owner wants – it is controlled by what the market is willing to pay. Otherwise, owners would sell for however much money they fancied. This tax – which is only being considered for homes above £500,000 – would mean people selling their houses will just end up with less money. Which is fine – they'll still have at least £450,000, which is enough for a deposit and plenty to spare. JWA Caley, St Pancras Rupert Fast's letter (MetroTalk, Thu) should be read by Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves. Britain is indeed, as he says, 'living beyond its means'. This fact has lead to UK gilt yields – the price the market demands for government loans – hitting the highs last seen during Liz Truss's tenure. More Trending This, therefore, supports Mr Fast and means that Britain has to pay more to service growing debt. That of course means Jo and Joe Public paying through taxes. Fares, food, broadband and council taxes have all risen more than inflation. The government must reduce spending and reduce debt. Fast. Graham Reid, Stockport MORE: How to win £3,000,000 house in West Sussex MORE: 'Ozempic vagina' is here and women are paying £2,000 to reverse it MORE: Inside the rise of 'Reta' – the controversial new weight loss jab 3 times stronger than Ozempic
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
We must support Ukrainians in their resistance against invasion
What is completely absent from Mark Brown's piece is any sense of agency of the people of Ukraine, who he presents as the helpless victims of big-power politics. As in all modern conflicts, big-power politics do indeed play a role in Ukraine – but to deny the Ukrainian people any voice, as he does, is simply to reproduce the discourse of imperialism. READ MORE: David Pratt: Diplomacy is welcome but we must listen to what Ukraine wants The alternative is to support the people of Ukraine in their quest for self-determination, and in their resistance against Russian invasion. This calls for practical solidarity with Ukrainian civil society, and for military support if requested by Ukraine. Nato's expansion after the demise of the Soviet Union is no reason to turn our backs on Ukraine's people now. We have been here before, many times. For example, while one of the causes of World War Two was the imperialist carve-up of the Versailles Treaty after World War One, this did not invalidate support for the anti-fascist resistance in Europe, including the supply of weapons from Britain to the resistance in France, Norway and Yugoslavia. Readers of The National will need no convincing that the people of Scotland have the right to self-determination. But that right does not stop at Gretna: it applies to all nations, not least to Palestine and to Ukraine. In Scotland many organisations, such as Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland ( are building that grass-roots solidarity. Join them if you can. Paddy Farrington Edinburgh I HAVE been involved in campaigning for LGBTQ+ equality in Scotland for 38 years and counting, and I really must protest at the counter-factual nonsense in Jim Taylor's letter of August 21. Trans people have been part of the campaign since it started. As a public example, in 1988 I was one of the organisers of Scotland's first ever Pride-style event, the Lark in the Park festival in Princes Street Gardens, protesting the introduction of Section 28. It was compered throughout by the excellent Fay Presto, the UK's first openly trans professional magician. Mr Taylor could google the Compton's and Stonewall riots of the 1960s, or the work of Magnus Hirschfeld in the early 20th century, to see earlier examples. READ MORE: Duolingo apologises after German app calls JK Rowling 'cruel' Mr Taylor goes on to write that the Gender Recognition Reform Bill should have been subject to a manifesto offer. It was! It was proposed in the SNP's manifesto for the 2021 Holyrood election (on page 33), and also in the Labour one (page 98), the LibDems' (page 51), and the Green manifesto (page 81). Unsurprisingly, therefore, the bill was introduced a year after that election, and was passed by 86 votes to 39. That's democracy! Had it not been for the profoundly anti-democratic use of Section 35 by the Westminster Tories, we would now have a de-medicalised statutory declaration system for gender recognition like that of our neighbours in Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and other countries. Needless to say, in none of those countries have the negative consequences predicted by the Tories and Mr Taylor come to pass. Tim Hopkins Edinburgh BRILLIANT letters in Thursday's edition by James Murphy and Jim Taylor in response to Ron Lumiere's. Jim Butchart via email RETURNING from holiday, I'm catching up on some articles I missed while away. After reading Kyle Renton's Long Letter on August 2 (It's Scots who should be telling stories about country's cultures and traditions), I read the Seven Days article of August 3 by Barbara Henderson about Andrew de Moray (The Invisible Man). In what was an informative article, there were a few word choices which made me think back to Kyle's letter: • John Balliol 'defied' Edward – surely as king of an independent country, John Balliol had to make the right decision for the people of Scotland, not necessarily to join England's wars? • The use of 'rebel' in relation to Andrew de Moray and William Wallace is also a strange choice. Rebelling against an invading force, or defending their homeland and fighting to preserve its independence? Having read Barbara's biography, she is certainly doing some wonderful work, but in this case, some more appropriate wording would have been more accurate. Steve Smart Newmachar, Aberdeenshire
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Rupert Lowe gets his guns back from police
Former Reform MP Rupert Lowe has had his guns returned to him by police. The weapons were seized in March after Mr Lowe was accused by Zia Yusuf, the then party chairman, of making two threats of physical violence. Mr Lowe denied the claims. 'I have a large collection, so it took some time – a wheelbarrow was required,' Mr Lowe said at the time. The guns were returned after the Crown Prosecution Service said no action would be brought. 'After having my guns confiscated in an armed police raid late on a Friday night in mid-March thanks to false allegations from Reform's Lee Anderson and Zia Yusuf, I have finally had my guns returned,' he said on X. 'I am pleased they're back, but furious they were ever taken.' The MP for Great Yarmouth has previously published footage of police arriving at his home and inspecting his guns in March during the investigation into alleged threats against Mr Yusuf. He posted the videos and images on X showing police arriving at night before inspecting guns in the kitchen before leaving at 11.38pm. Mr Lowe said at the time: 'As a result of the false allegations that I made threats against the Reform chairman, on the 14th March at 21.30, armed police arrived at my home unannounced – three vehicles, with four armed officers. 'The previous day, I had arranged with the police to voluntarily give up my guns. So as you can imagine, to have armed police suddenly arrive on my doorstep late at night was a deeply stressful situation. 'I am a farmer. Farmers have guns, all entirely legally. There is nothing unusual about it.' The police report came amid Mr Lowe's suspension from Reform and led to an extraordinary war of words between the MP and his now former party. Days before details of the accusations emerged, Mr Lowe had given an interview in which he accused party leader Nigel Farage of acting like a messiah and said he was not sure he could continue to back him. In a series of WhatsApp messages leaked to the BBC earlier this year, Mr Farage told an activist Mr Lowe was suspended because he had tried to 'damage' the party before the local elections. Mr Lowe is still facing a parliamentary investigation into allegations that he and members of his team bullied two former members of his staff, claims that he has categorically denied.
