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Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow racist attacks mother in front of son, 11, at bus stop
The woman, whom we are calling FM to protect her identity, was returning home from a hospital appointment with her 11-year-old son. It was a Monday and the sun was shining. They were waiting to change buses outside of Watt Brothers on Hope Street in the heart of the city centre when Chalmers, of Glenfinnan Road, approached. It was as if the sight of her niqab had surprised him, she reflects. He did a double-take before beginning to curse at the 36-year-old mother of two. At first, FM tried to ignore him. A few commuters stood, milling around the bus stop, watching the incident unfold. READ NEXT: Scottish comedian in court accused of indecent assault at BBC studios READ NEXT: Driver who is banned to 2030 caught in 33-mile 100mph high-speed chase She took a step back, widening the space between them. But after two minutes, FM began filming the encounter on her phone. It was not the first time she was subjected to racist abuse. She had experience in dealing with such a situation, but this time was the worst. Fear began to take hold of her. The boy was already terrified. She asked her son to pass over his phone so she could call the police. At first, her son protested. 'We have to do this for our security reasons,' FM told him. She tried to ignore Chalmers while answering questions from the police officers over the phone. She tried not to give him any attention, the camera shaky in her hand. She wasn't intending to film his face; she just wanted a record of what was happening. At least to capture his voice, the things he was saying to her and her frightened child. 'I'm filming this because it's not the first time this has happened to me,' she says to the police over the phone. She is certain the man has approached her because she is a Muslim, covering her face. 'P**** off. Get to f***. P*** off, rat,' Chalmers called. 'Get to f**** you wee rat. Go away. P*** off. Get to f****. Rat c***.' FM moves to get the bus stop number from the shelter to relay it to the officers on the phone. 'Tell them to come down then,' Chalmers said. 'Rat. P*** off. Show your f***ing coupon. Nothing to show you wee mug.' The man moved suddenly towards FM. 'Show your f***ing face,' he said. 'Keep away from me,' she said, pulling back. 'Keep away. Don't come.' He continued to shout at her, calling her a rat and swearing. FM's fear heightened. She told the police over the phone that he had tried to take her niqab off. 'Take your son with you,' Chalmers said. 'Go to Birmingham.' A bystander stepped in following Chalmers' remarks. He told Chalmers to stay away before turning to ask FM if she was okay. 'No, I'm not okay,' she said. Her voice breaks, and FM begins to cry. Chalmers continued shouting behind them. 'Take, take, take,' he said. Glasgow mum FM (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) The police arrived after around 10 minutes, and Chalmers was arrested. FM's brother met her and her son at the incident and went with them to the police station, where they were giving their statements. FM's son was badly shaken in the wake of the incident. He used to love playing outside, but after the attack, he refused to go out. FM worried about his mental health and gently persuaded him to play outside. 'I know it's not the first incident you've encountered with me, but you have to move on,' she told him. 'You have to keep going.' She found the police officers to be really helpful. Chalmers was charged with a hate crime, having found to have been acting in a manner which was racially aggravated and which caused alarm or distress and was sentenced to 12 months of supervision. He was required to pay a fine of £500, and a Community Payback Order was imposed, which included the requirement to perform unpaid work. At first, FM was worried he would only be charged with a fine. If it were just money, he could borrow it from anyone and just pay it back. But with community service, she hoped Chalmers would think a million times before attacking a migrant after that. He was just 'repeating quotes from the far right', like telling her to go back to her country. 'This is my country as well,' she says. 'I'm a migrant here, I have a valid visa here. I'm not here doing something illegal. I pay taxes the same way you pay taxes.' FM moved to Newcastle from Egypt three years ago with her two sons. She lived there for nine months ('I never faced a problem, it was very good for me,' she says) before coming to Glasgow, where her brother and his family were living. The incident at the bus stop happened on July 29, 2024. It was the same day that Axel Rudakubana, 17, carried out a 12-minute knife rampage in Southport, attacking a children's Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop. Two girls died at the scene of the mass stabbing, and another died in the hospital the following day. Six children and two adults were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. After the stabbings, false claims circulated online that Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker (he was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents). By the evening of July 30, rioters swarmed the streets of Southport, throwing objects at a local mosque and police officers. Over the next five days, demonstrators clashed with police officers in cities around the country and the discontent carried on for weeks. The rhetoric of the rioters was awash with racist and anti-immigrant language. Yet in Glasgow, an anti-immigration demonstration in George Square on September 7 was met by thousands of anti-racism counter-protesters. Police Scotland recorded 6,227 hate crimes in 2023-24, the lowest since 2014-15. Glasgow City had the second highest number of reports with 22 crimes per 10,000 population. More than 60% of hate crimes were racially aggravated. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) 'I work in the refugee sector, so I know how Glasgow is welcoming to people,' FM says. 'I know there are individual actions from individual people. They will not affect my thinking about Glasgow or the city because I know how welcoming Scottish people are. I've seen this myself every day. 'But I believe that there are some racist people, and we will not change them until they change themselves. We can't deny that there are some racist people here. To be honest, I'm not feeling safe all the time, but this also won't change anything." 'Migrants are your neighbour, your teacher, your nurse, your doctor, your cleaner, part of the community you live in,' says Nazek Ramadan, director of charity Migrant Voice. She says the far-right riots which spread across the UK last summer are not isolated in signalling the hate and division which some spread against migrant and marginalised communities. But Scotland has stood apart. 'Instead of the divisive political rhetoric we have seen from some politicians, Scotland has promoted unity among communities, it has championed the rights and acceptance of people coming from other countries,' says Nazek. 'This is not to say Scotland is perfect, we still see hate on the streets, and we still see migrants fearful of going out, but Scotland's approach to inclusivity and combating division has been evidenced by a continuing decline in hate crimes, now at roughly their lowest levels for a decade. 'We still see violence against migrant and marginalised communities across the UK, most recently outside hotels in places such as Epping and in areas of Northern Ireland, causing fear among these communities. 'There is so much more which needs to be done to combat the rising spread of far-right hatred, but by promoting positivity and inclusion, by standing up for communities instead of with those spreading division, we can ensure everyone feels safe.' Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow racist attacks mother in front son, 11, at bus stop
It was as if the sight of her niqab had surprised him, she reflects. He did a double-take before beginning to curse at the 36-year-old mother of two. At first, Fatma tried to ignore him. A few commuters stood, milling around the bus stop, watching the incident unfold. She took a step back, widening the space between them. But after two minutes, Fatma began filming the encounter on her phone. It was not the first time she was subjected to racist abuse. She had experience in dealing with such a situation, but this time was the worst. Fear began to take hold of her. The boy was already terrified. She asked her son to pass over his phone so she could call the police. At first, her son protested. 'We have to do this for our security reasons,' Fatma told him. She tried to ignore Chalmers while answering questions from the police officers over the phone. She tried not to give him any attention, the camera shaky in her hand. She wasn't intending to film his face; she just wanted a record of what was happening. At least to capture his voice, the things he was saying to her and her frightened child. 'I'm filming this because it's not the first time this has happened to me,' she says to the police over the phone. She is certain the man has approached her because she is a Muslim, covering her face. 'P**** off. Get to f***. P*** off, rat,' Chalmers called. 'Get to f**** you wee rat. Go away. P*** off. Get to f****. Rat c***.' Fatma moves to get the bus stop number from the shelter to relay it to the officers on the phone. 'Tell them to come down then,' Chalmers said. 'Rat. P*** off. Show your f***ing coupon. Nothing to show you wee mug.' The man moved suddenly towards Fatma. 'Show your f***ing face,' he said. 'Keep away from me,' she said, pulling back. 'Keep away. Don't come.' He continued to shout at her, calling her a rat and swearing. Fatma's fear heightened. She told the police over the phone that he had tried to take her niqab off. 'Take your son with you,' Chalmers said. 'Go to Birmingham.' A bystander stepped in following Chalmers' remarks. He told Chalmers to stay away before turning to ask Fatma if she was okay. 'No, I'm not okay,' she said. Her voice breaks, and Fatma begins to cry. Chalmers continued shouting behind them. 'Take, take, take,' he said. Glasgow mum Fatma Elaraby (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) Glasgow mum Fatma Elaraby with her sons. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) The police arrived after around ten minutes, and Chalmers was arrested. Fatma's brother met her and her son at the police station, where they were giving their statements. Fatma's son was badly shaken in the wake of the incident. He used to love playing outside, but after the attack, he refused to go out. Fatma worried about his mental health and gently persuaded him to play outside. 'I know it's not the first incident you've encountered with me, but you have to move on,' she told him. 'You have to keep going.' She found the police officers to be really helpful. Chalmers was charged with a hate crime, having found to have been acting in a manner which was racially aggravated and which caused alarm or distress and was sentenced to 12 months of supervision. He was required to pay a fine of £500, and a Community Payback Order was imposed, which included the requirement to perform unpaid work. At first, Fatma was worried he would only be charged with a fine. If it were just money, he could borrow it from anyone and just pay it back. But with community service, she hoped Chalmers would think a million times before attacking a migrant after that. He was just 'repeating quotes from the far right', like telling her to go back to her country. 'This is my country as well,' she says. 'I'm a migrant here, I have a valid visa here. I'm not here doing something illegal. I pay taxes the same way you pay taxes.' Fatma moved to Newcastle from Egypt three years ago with her two sons. She lived there for nine months ('I never faced a problem, it was very good for me,' she says) before coming to Glasgow, where her brother and his family were living. The incident at the bus stop happened on July 29, 2024. It was the same day that Axel Rudakubana, 17, carried out a 12-minute knife rampage in Southport, attacking a children's Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop. Two girls died at the scene of the mass stabbing, and another died in the hospital the following day. Six children and two adults were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. After the stabbings, false claims circulated online that Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker (he was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents). By the evening of July 30, rioters swarmed the streets of Southport, throwing objects at a local mosque and police officers. Over the next five days, demonstrators clashed with police officers in cities around the country and the discontent carried on for weeks. The rhetoric of the rioters was awash with racist and anti-immigrant language. Yet in Glasgow, an anti-immigration demonstration in George Square on September 7 was met by thousands of anti-racism counter-protesters. Police Scotland recorded 6,227 hate crimes in 2023-24, the lowest since 2014-15. Glasgow City had the second highest number of reports with 22 crimes per 10,000 population. More than 60% of hate crimes were racially aggravated. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) 'I work in the refugee sector, so I know how Glasgow is welcoming to people,' Fatma says. 'I know there are individual actions from individual people. They will not affect my thinking about Glasgow or the city because I know how welcoming Scottish people are. I've seen this myself every day. 'But I believe that there are some racist people, and we will not change them until they change themselves. We can't deny that there are some racist people here. To be honest, I'm not feeling safe all the time, but this also won't change anything." 'Migrants are your neighbour, your teacher, your nurse, your doctor, your cleaner, part of the community you live in,' says Nazek Ramadan, director of charity Migrant Voice. She says the far-right riots which spread across the UK last summer are not isolated in signalling the hate and division which some spread against migrant and marginalised communities. But Scotland has stood apart. 'Instead of the divisive political rhetoric we have seen from some politicians, Scotland has promoted unity among communities, it has championed the rights and acceptance of people coming from other countries,' says Nazek. 'This is not to say Scotland is perfect, we still see hate on the streets, and we still see migrants fearful of going out, but Scotland's approach to inclusivity and combating division has been evidenced by a continuing decline in hate crimes, now at roughly their lowest levels for a decade. 'We still see violence against migrant and marginalised communities across the UK, most recently outside hotels in places such as Epping and in areas of Northern Ireland, causing fear among these communities. 'There is so much more which needs to be done to combat the rising spread of far-right hatred, but by promoting positivity and inclusion, by standing up for communities instead of with those spreading division, we can ensure everyone feels safe.' Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
The Herald Scotland
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
New Glasgow cafe's fusion dishes are unlike any you've tried before
Pictured: The Jolly Tamil opens in Glasgow's Southside on Wednesday, August 6 (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) 'We've always known what a fantastic cook my mum is,' Tharany begins as we await the arrival of our teas, prepared with a traditional 'Tamil Pour' to add a light, frothy texture. 'She is Sri Lanka-born and raised, and as the oldest girl out of her siblings from the age of around nine, she was cooking for the entire family. 'Even if we go to our relatives' houses now, they will ask her to cook because they know she is the best, and when we were growing up, my brother's friends would ask her to make food for their birthdays. 'We would always say that she should open her own café, but it seemed far-fetched because none of us had experience in the hospitality industry. 'As a family, we finally decided that if we didn't take the gamble for our mum, we would always regret it, which is why we're opening this place. 'There's a chance that it might not work, but even if it doesn't, at least she can take pride in knowing that we have done all of this for her.' Opening any new business in the current climate is a daunting prospect, but with a menu that marries traditional Sri Lankan flavours with influences from Tamil communities across the globe, Tharany is determined to prove they have something special to offer. 'I have so much confidence in mum's cooking and our story, and I think Shawlands is the sort of place where people celebrate different cultures like ours, especially through food. 'My mum spent time in Singapore in her younger years, meaning the food she cooked for us growing up as Sri-Lankan Tamils in Essex had an Asian fusion element to it. 'In later years, I went abroad to Malaysia, where Tamil people were also entwining their traditional dishes with another culture. They really enjoy tofu curries, for example, and I hadn't seen a lot of that before. 'When I came back, my mum and I began sharing stories of the food we had tried, and that's something we've brought with us to The Jolly Tamil. 'It makes us unique from other Sri Lankan restaurants, because we're taking inspiration from Tamil communities across the world.' Having previously studied chemical engineering at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, a new adventure at The Jolly Tamil will offer Tharany the opportunity to pursue a lifelong passion for food inherited from her mother. 'I'll be doing the cooking, but mum will be there in the background to make sure that I'm doing things properly,' she explains. 'She has her authentic way of doing things, like curries from back in the day with her own little twists, but what I'll be bringing is more of a fusion approach to the menu. 'Like Halwa, which is traditionally an Indian sweet made with shaved carrot, sugar, spices and milk cooked down until it becomes a soft pudding. 'I'm taking those flavours but turning them into a cheesecake with mascarpone cheese and cardamom cream. 'Although I did engineering at Uni, I've always been really interested in gastronomy and love thinking of ways to level food up with a more scientific approach.' Read more: As the conversation moves on to impressive interior decorating work, all carried out by Tharany over the past 10 months with the help of various family members, Vadani emerges from the kitchen carrying two servings of the fresh tea she had offered just moments after we first stepped through the door at The Jolly Tamil. The official interview wraps up here, but for the next half hour, I'll remain fixed in the same spot, captivated by stories of Sri Lankan culture and a beloved matriarch's tips and tricks for cooking with ingredients full of natural goodness. Curry leaves, I'm told, are good for the eyes, while the spices used for the tea we're sipping will apparently do wonders for my digestive system. The most important thing we should know, however, is that just like every meal she has made for her family over the years, the cooking at The Jolly Tamil will come from the heart. 'No matter what happens with the café,' Tharany says when our cups have eventually run dry, 'I already feel very fulfilled by the memories I've made with my mum over the past months of preparations. 'It's now time to show off how amazing her food is and make her proud.' The Jolly Tamil is located at 95 Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow. For more information, visit
The Herald Scotland
05-08-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Festival seeks tourist tax help as it faces hike in costs
Although the city council has predicted it will generate an additional £50m a year by 2028, the city's festivals do not know if they will see any direct investment. Read more: In a wide-ranging interview with The Herald, EIF chief executive Francesca Hegyi, said the rising costs faced by the city's major cultural events were no longer viable under current levels of funding support and financial pressures. The EIF, which currently gets around £1.9m a year from the city council, has been on standstill funding from the city council since 2019 when it was hit with a nine per cent funding cut. The Edinburgh International Festival got underway last week. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Ms Hegyi called for a 'mindshift' in how the festivals are treated by the city council and the Scottish Government, and for greater collaboration between the cities major cultural events. She suggested they could work together to explore broadcast partnerships and a shared box office system, which could help the festivals attract new commercial sponsorship. Francesca Hegyi, chief executive of the Edinburgh International Festival, wants the event to get some form of rebate for the accommodation it books in future. (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald & Times) Under the city council's plans for the introduction of the visitor levy, it will affect bookings for stays of up to five days from July 24 next year – just days before Edinburgh's 2026 summer festivals seasons will get underway. The Herald told earlier this month how Edinburgh's festivals, venues and performers were being urged to book accommodation a year in advance to avoid the tourist tax. Event organisers, venues and artists are being urged to take advantage of a "window" before the start of October, when the five per cent levy will start to be added to accommodation bills for the 2026 summer festivals season. The EIF meets the accommodation costs of artists and crew working at the event, but is not expected to finalise its programme until the end of the year. Ms Hegyi told The Herald: 'I actually think there is a massive opportunity around visitor Levy, actually, and I'm generally quite positive about it. 'Anything that increases the pot available to the city, for infrastructure, for communities, for festivals, and arts and culture in general, has absolutely got to be a good thing. 'I think the significance of the visitor levy shouldn't be understated because, to my knowledge, the first major source of new revenue that's come along for many years. 'The devil is in the detail about how it will work. The one hesitation I have about it is that, as it currently stands, this festival will between £50,000 and £60,000 worse off because we will be charged the levy when we book accommodation for our visiting artists and crew. The only certainty I have right now is that the festival is going to be worse off." Edinburgh's festivals are represented on an independent advisory group which will produce recommendations on how income raised through the visitor levy should be spent. Under current proposals – which will affect hotels, self-catering properties and short-term lets – 35 per cent of the funds raised will be distributed across 'culture, heritage and events.' Ms Hegyi added: 'I would hate for us to be out of pocket as a result of the visitor levy. What I would like the council to consider is some sort of rebate mechanism for those cultural institutions and attractions which are the reason why visitors come to the city. 'I understand exemptions are difficult, but it would be really helpful if a rebate could be considered. It would just be perverse if a scheme that's meant to benefit cultural organisations ended up costing them money.' The EIF was forced to scale back this year's programme due to uncertainty over its future Scottish Government funding. A long-awaited decision was put back from October to January after the government refused to sign off a budget for its arts agency, Creative Scotland, before setting out its own spending plans last December. The EIF's core government funding, which had been pegged at around £2.3m for more than a decade, was increased to £3.25m for the current financial year and £4.25m annually for the following two years. The city council's funding for the EIF is expected to remain just over £1.9m until at least 2027-28 under a three-year programme to support festivals, events and cultural venues in the city. However the council has instigated a new 'Festivals City Leadership Group,' which also involves the Scottish Government, to help tackle the biggest challenges faced by the city's major cultural events. Ms Hegyi said: 'One of the topics this group is look at is the whole question of accommodation and what we can do collectively to ensure that the festivals can be affordable in future. 'I think there is acceptance from everyone around the table that the status quo just isn't viable anymore. 'The idea that the festivals are sustainable in the long run under the current support mechanisms and what is being asked of festivals has gone. 'I think there's an acknowledgment that we've got to move on. 'For public funding agencies, that's about considering how they value the festivals in the round. 'What I'd like to see is a mindshift in the way that festivals are considered and treated, That's not necessarily about money. "One of the challenges we all need to get grips with is the inherent fragmentation of the festivals. We're all different, separate and independent. We'll always be that way. "But I think we probably could and should do more to coordinate to make it easier for residents and visitors who want to engage with the festivals in some way, and have a single front door to buy tickets. "There is an appetite among some of the festivals to think in that way so we can be more coordinated. Our chances of attracting new forms of income - whether through broadcast partnerships or commercial partnerships - on a scale that isn't possible with an individual festival. "One of the good things that has happened in the last year is that with the Creative Scotland settlements we've finally been able to move out of crisis mode, start to look a bit further ahead and start to dream a little bit." The Herald has teamed up with to make the purchase of tickets for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe so much easier. To buy tickets, click here
Glasgow Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Spider-Man fans flock to Glasgow as filming begins
Bothwell Street has temporarily been given a new look with American flags and Manhattan road signs appearing in the area. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) It comes as filming for Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins on August 1 on the city centre road. Our photographer went down to Bothwell Street to capture some of the action. Fans of the Marvel comic character were snapped taking selfies with the set. READ NEXT: 'Spider-man' spotted in Glasgow as area turns into New York (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) Seven-year-old Eli Sanderson and dad David (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) Spider-Man: Brand New Day will star Tom Holland as Peter Parker, as well as Zendaya as MJ. It is expected to be released in 2026 and is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The adventure movie picks up after the dramatic conclusion of No Way Home, where Peter Parker sacrificed his identity to save those he loves. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) READ NEXT: Over 50 Glasgow streets to close as Spiderman filming begins today Crews continue to build parts of the set on Friday. A huge number of New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicles, as well as yellow taxi cabs, have been spotted on the street alongside food vendor stalls. Nearly 60 roads will be shut in the city centre to allow for filming. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) Glasgow City Council confirmed that traffic diversions will be in place. The local authority also warned that bus and taxi lanes will be impacted. Drivers are being warned that delays and congestion are expected, particularly around key commuter routes. During shooting, which is reportedly set to last around two weeks, a prohibition of pedestrian movements will also be enforced.
