Latest news with #Refuweegee
The National
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
No Mean City gig is fund-raising 'antidote' to right-wing marches
The initial gig – which was staged quickly as an 'antidote' to extreme right-wing marches in the city last September – was so successful it has spawned a series of nights in aid of the Refuweegee charity. So far, £3500 has been raised with demand for tickets meaning that bigger venues are being hired to cater for the growing number of people wanting to attend. Organised by musician and tour manager Mackenzie Burns, the next No Mean City event is planned for September 6 with the slogan 'kindness as an act of resistance'. Burns said the idea was to not only raise money while giving people a chance to experience the city's music scene, but also to create an 'ongoing conversation' about immigration and refugees. The first event was sparked by marches planned in Glasgow on September 7 last year in protest at the Southport murders when Burns said the stabbings had been 'undeniably horrific, tragic and just the worst of humanity', but he had been dismayed by the response to it from far-right groups – even more so when he found a march was planned for Glasgow. 'I knew the counter protests would far outnumber the far-right stuff but it was still going to be a dark day,' he said. 'I work in music and have a lot of friends in music so I decided I could put on a gig which would hopefully be a bit of an antidote to all the negativity and just have a really inclusive, positive space for people to come after the march and detox and decompress a little bit and have a good time again.' With less than a fortnight to go, a venue was found at the Rum Shack, bands were invited and No Mean City was launched. READ MORE: Lily Phillips tackles dark side of motherhood with Edinburgh Fringe show 'The idea was to get the best, brightest and most diverse group of musicians that we could find, put them under one roof and celebrate our inclusivity, rather than challenge or try to take away from it, which was some of the intent of the George Square march,' Burns said. The event raised £1500 but also generated a conversation. 'We want people to know that refugees and immigrants are not the Big Bad Wolf they are often painted as in media coverage,' Burns said. 'I want people to have a great time but more importantly, along with the money raised, I want to generate an ongoing conversation.' For the first event, he relied on musicians he knew well but interest grew within the music community, so Burns decided to stage another in November, again in aid of Refuweegee. 'Refuweegee are wonderful people and really doing an amazing thing, and they need a lot of support around Christmas time,' said Burns. READ MORE: While Hollywood visits Scotland, homegrown filmmakers are at 'breaking point' This time he was helped in the promotion of the event by Declan Welsh, of Declan Welsh And The Decadent West, who is taking part in the next event, which is planned for September 6, this time in Stereo, which can hold 300 people. 'We've got real diversity in the lineup,' said Burns. 'From Salt, who's a Swedish artist who's become part of the music scene here, to Psweatpants, a rapper who moved up from London to be a part of the Glasgow music community. We've also got The Dunts, who have played TRNSMT, as well as Tanzana, Majesty Palm and The Noise Club. 'Our Supergroup includes Andy Guitar, comedian and drummer Rosco McClelland, DARA DUBH, Connor Whyte and members of Bottle Rockets, Lacuna, SISTER MADDS and more. It's a nice marriage of all the different styles and ways that people can come to be a part of the Glasgow music scene.' Burns added: 'It has the tagline Kindness As An Act Of Resistance because kindness appears to be the exception to the rule at the moment.'
The Herald Scotland
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow gig set up to counter far-right returns to city
All money raised at the gig is donated directly to Refuweegee, a community charity supporting new arrivals in the city. No A Mean City III: Kindness as an Act of Resistance will take place at Stereo on Renfield Lane on September 6, featuring the Noughty Mean City All Star Band, The Dunts, Tanzana, Majesty Palm, The Noise Club, Psweatpants, Salt and more. Read More: Founder Mackenzie Burns tells The Herald: "The first event was held on Saturday September 7 last year, essentially in direct response to the clashes happening in [[George Square]] between the far-right protest groups and people who thought that maybe wasn't an acceptable thing to be bringing to Glasgow in the wake of all the Southport stuff, which was incredibly tragic. "It was a kind of antidote to that, which put a real dampener on what I would consider to be the spirit of my city. "I clubbed together, very hastily, a venue and a lineup of bands which I like to think had a real inclusive and well-meaning community-based spirit to them. "The turnaround was about two weeks, we put on the event in the Rum Shack, who gave us the venue for free. "We raised £1,500 for Refuweegee on the first one and we decided to keep doing it as a sort of series, all in aid of Refuweegee. "I needed a good name and I used to love Taggart, and they always used to say the Maggie Bell theme was 'No Mean City' then of course there's the book about the Gorbals. "So I decided to flip that into 'No A Mean City', I like the idea that Glasgow has everything, warts and all, but fundamentally there's a real spirit to the place and the people. "The third one, which is happening in September, is our biggest one yet. A performance at No A Mean City (Image: Nicole MacAulay) "We've upscaled it to Stereo, which is nearly double the cap, to make more money for refugees at a time when it's needed more than ever but we have real aspirations to take this as far as we possibly can." The event doesn't just feature music, but various contributors from Glasgow's cultural scene and beyond. Mr Burns says: "I loved the first one because it was full of peers and friends and well-meaning people in the industry, but the second one, I expanded it to include Declan Welsh, or example, who's someone I've known a long time and is a great collaborator on this and someone who can fill the Barrowlands and has done the main stage at TRNSMT. "He's involved in the third event and we've got Roscoe McLellan, the comedian who recently won the Billy Connolly award, Andy Guitar who is a really prominent YouTuber. "It's got a really interesting, eclectic, lineup, which we like to think reflects the sort of diversity, the inclusivity, and just the talent that is brought here. "We've got Salt, who's an artist from Sweden, who's moved over to Glasgow. We've got Psweatpants, who moved up from London to be a part of the Glasgow music scene, and then at the same time we've got The Dunts, who are a really prominent Glasgow band "So we're trying to tie everything together in terms of what is brought to Glasgow and that can all coalesce and be just everything that's great about the city. "I never thought of myself as a promoter, however, it turns out if you've got enough well-meaning pals, then you can look like one, because they're willing to play, and obviously no one takes any money. A performance at No A Mean City (Image: Andrew Adams) "I try and budget for expenses. For the first event I really needed it to be insured because of the climate on that day and Brian Reynolds of 432 Presents was really helpful and took time paid out of his own pocket for insuring our event but he said something which has really stuck with me: 'it's for a great cause but the people doing it still have very real needs and they need to be able to not lose money from this'. "So I do try and offer expenses but it's a real testament to the people who choose to give up their time and energy for this, they aren't paid to play so I really appreciate them giving up their time and energy. "It's just a great celebration of the spirit and attitude of Glasgow's music community. "The third will be the biggest and best yet - that's the plan." While the gig will showcase the Glasgow music scene and more, the overall message is wider. Mr Burns explains: "Principally we want to elevate the conversation which is that refugees are human beings and should be treated as such, and all of your opinions are usually based on someone trying to implant a certain view into you rather than give an accurate representation. "If you live in diverse communities you'll understand them as people rather than enemies. "Refugees are people and you don't need to deviate from that, people should have comfort, safety and human rights, and that's what we're always trying to put at the forefront of these events. "It's a great gig, I'm glad you saw your favourite local bands and that they gave their time but you should be going away thinking, 'what can I do other than come to a gig? How can I have this conversation with people in my life who aren't as inclusive or tolerant?'. "We try and make the gigs a vehicle for that." Tickets for No A Mean City III are available here
The National
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish refugee charity ‘won't shut up, it will show up'
Selina Hales founded Refuweegee, 10 years ago this December. The charity aims to 'provide a warm welcome to forcibly displaced people arriving in Glasgow' through the provision of welcome packs and emergency packs. Hales is experiencing an even busier week for Refuweegee than normal: 'Every week at Refuweegee is a busy week but whenever you're asking people to stand up, to get involved, to vote with their feet, to be present, to pay attention, it tends to be a lot busier. 'Over the past week, we've had protests, we've had events, we've had horrific news stories, we've had our usual 200-plus people through our door each day looking for critical support and the picture, the landscape, just seems to be getting more and more difficult for people. READ MORE: 'Completely unprecedented': BBC cuts live feed for Kneecap Glastonbury performance 'Normally when we talk about things being more difficult for people, we're talking about the refugee community and those we work with, but actually, it's getting more difficult to peacefully protest, to work in this sector, to get people to approach things with kindness. 'It's terrifying that kindness actually appears to now be becoming radical.' Refuweegee was involved in events for the Refugee Festival Scotland which ran between June 13-22. The festival is 'always a busy time' for them. The charity participates in different protests for two main reasons, which Hales says are the need 'to show up for the community that we work with' and for the positivity brought by 'connecting with other people physically on the streets' which 'really helps when you're feeling overwhelmed.' Hales recounts a horrific experience at the Aye Welcome Refugees march earlier this month. (Image: NQ) 'While with my daughter, I had to tell a man that it was entirely inappropriate to follow me and my daughter, shouting at me that refugees are 'dogs' and 'should be sent back home',' she explains. 'I've never encountered that before, so that's the change that I can see – even though it's still a minority of people, there's a boldness in their hatred and their racism and their Islamophobia and their xenophobia, and that is not pleasant.' Refuweegee deals with people in a range of different circumstances. 'Some people who have fled hate crime, who heard that Glasgow is a safer place, have come up from England,' Hales says. 'We have people who have literally just arrived in the UK. Some people who have been waiting in the housing system for months.' Hales outlined a major problem with the asylum system. People who 'have been moved out of asylum accommodation and are now homeless because they're waiting for their permanent accommodation'. 'At the beginning of Refuweegee, there wasn't a gap there, when somebody left asylum accommodation, they were moved straight into their permanent accommodation,' she adds. 'You can have somebody who's been in the asylum system for three or four years, who's stayed in a residential flat paid for by the Home Office.' Their successful asylum claim should feel like a positive step for integration into the community, but Hales states that instead 'they get evicted from their accommodation' and are left to wait on housing lists. Refuweegee is not afraid to tell it as it is and to take firm stances. The charity has dropped partnerships with companies over them being 'complicit' in crimes committed by Israel. 'BDS [the Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions movement] is the only way for us to move forward comfortably in ourselves,' she says. Refuweegee has had corporate partnerships over the years where staff working for a company will take part in the services that it offers, but the charity 'will not be used as a corporate tickbox' while an 'organisation invests in Israeli weaponry'. 'We've walked away from very big financial corporate relationships,' Hales adds. She makes the distinction between the corporations and their staff, recognising how difficult it could be for an individual to leave a corporation just because they disagree with it, and urges those employees to still get involved, provided that Refuweegee will not be used to promote a corporation. Refuweegee has also had different organisations turn away from it, including 'two private schools' who disengaged from the organisation 'because of pro-Palestinian posts' after having pressure put on them, Hales says. She maintains that Refuweegee is very careful about the content that it posts and that it stands by it. Speaking about the organisation's reaction to ongoing news stories including those on the conflict between Israel and Iran, with US involvement and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, Hales says that 'I have never felt so concerned about my team – because of the news because of the witnessing of a genocide', and the people they meet 'whose families they're watching for in those videos'. In speaking to Hales, the message from Refuweegee that stands out is the need to 'show up'. What does that mean? Speaking about 'attacks on the arts', she points to Kneecap, saying 'that is how you show up'. 'It is glorious and beautiful and I take my hat off to them. I've just bought tickets to see them in London so that says it all,' she laughs. 'The media response to the genocide we are witnessing, predominantly, has been utterly shameful. 'The celebrity and public figure response is also utterly shameful. Just show up for individuals as human beings, look at what you are witnessing and say you are utterly horrified. Show up.' 'I think [Kneecap] have done a spectacular job and I couldn't be prouder and I think with the government response and the banning of them from playing in certain places and the attack on the arts, protesting has become unsafe. 'You can feel the shift and the tension, it's become unsafe. 'Look at what's happened at the CCA [the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, where there was a pro-Palestine protest last Tuesday], the police response to a peaceful protest in an arts organisation around something very clear, none of it has been violent, it has been open book, the police response to that was vicious. (Image: Newsquest) 'We need creative spaces that we can show up in.' Citing the UK Government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, she adds: 'The criminalising of organisations who are there to stand up … I firmly believe that we are all Palestine Action.' Hales also speaks on her belief that Refuweegee itself is penalised for taking a stand: 'I feel like we're pushing against the tide. The Government response is so horrific and vile. 'The community engages with us really well, individuals across Glasgow and Scotland can see what we're all about, that we're a complete open book. 'They can trust in us to say what needs to be said, share the information that we've got, to educate and to show up but that works against us in terms of Scottish Government and council funding, we receive neither of those things and I firmly believe that is because we won't shut up.' From the beginning of Refuweegee, Hales has been asked the question of where she wants the organisation to be in the next five years. Her answer has always been the same: she doesn't want Refuweegee to exist in five years. 'The ultimate aim is to not be needed,' she explains. While there is a need for Refuweegee, however, Hales is clear about the role of its team: 'What we do for people is really simple, it's just holding space. 'It's just joining up, for every ask, there's always somebody willing to give and it's lovely to be in the middle of that. 'Every day can be different. There are some things that are routine but when dealing with people, you don't know what will be thrown at you. 'Some days you'll just have the best intentions of getting stuff done and then a trafficked 17-year-old will walk through the door saying 'I need help'.' In March 2025, Refuweegee moved to a new space in George Square, which it has used to create a space for people which allows them to access the services offered by the charity, but also have social spaces, a children's play area and a prayer area. Hales concludes: 'There's loads of ways to get involved in Refuweegee, from fundraising, to volunteering, to letter-writing, to coming and hanging out in our space.'
