An anti-immigration protester with a Union Jack neck gaiter during a protest in Glasgow on 13 June, 2026.
Photo: Jason Fong / Strathclyde Telegraph

Thousands of protesters gathered at Buchanan Steps today in response to masked anti-immigration protestors who rioted throughout Glasgow on Tuesday. 

The demonstration organised by Stand Up to Racism was attended by many trade unions and campaign groups, including the Strathclyde UCU, the Scottish Greens, and the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP).  

The Reclaim our Streets demonstration followed the far-right unrest in Glasgow following a stabbing attack in Belfast.  

Early in the protest, the masked group that participated in the riots in Glasgow on Tuesday attempted to crash the protest, led by Alistar McConnachie, a far-right activist and leader of the Independent Green Voice party.  

The counterprotesters were eventually escorted out of the scene by police around two hours into the demonstration.  

Police Scotland told the Strathclyde Telegraph that the far-right counterprotesters were barricaded into a square in the centre of the demonstration to protect the anti-racism protesters, as they were showing aggressive behaviour.

The masked counterprotesters were seen taunting members of the public and the press with insults and chants, calling to “stop the boats”, and performing Nazi salutes, to which anti-racism protestors responded: “Nazi scum off our streets”.  

Patrick Harvie, former Scottish Greens co-leader and current MSP, said, “Normalisation of far-right ideas across our politics, our media and especially social media has been growing for years now. It’s extremely worrying.” 

“In the last week or so, we’ve seen violence on a scale that has shocked a lot of people. I think I’ve seen a huge number of people in Glasgow who are furious about that, and that’s why they’re here, but we also need politicians and media outlets to stop leaning into these hostile narratives and stereotypes that only embolden them.  

The counterprotesters were starkly outnumbered, with an estimate of 50, to which anti-racist activists chanted: “There are many, many more of us than you.” 

Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer, in a speech at the rally, said, “We are fed up, we are scared. Not just for ourselves, but our children, for our families and our communities.”

Anwar questioned the double standard shown by far-right activists: “If we had watched the scenes in Belfast, what would have happened if it had been a gang of Muslims masked up? A gang of Asians, a gang of black people, who had set fire to white people’s homes, with children running for their lives as they faced a masked mob of Muslims, would there have been any sympathy for the group?”  

Linsey, a member of the Public Commercial Services union (PCS) and born-and-bred Glaswegian, said, “Glasgow is my city, and Glasgow has a rich history of welcoming everybody to this city, but it also has a rich history of protest of liberation and socialism, and that’s what my union supports as well.”  

“We will always fight for the most marginalised communities; it’s my responsibility as a Glaswegian to be here today.” 

Even with a rich history of socialist, anti-far-right protest in the city, Linsey acknowledged that the city, as well as “the whole of Scotland”, also has a history of “racism and white supremacy.” 

“We have to remind marginalised communities that the majority of white Glaswegians stand with them,” she said. 

Protest attendees agreed with this sentiment, with one anonymous, long-term resident of Glasgow speculating that far-right unrest stems from a place of misplaced government frustration. “With what’s happening in Glasgow right now—my heart’s broken with it all.” 

“Both sides have got the same frustrations with the government, but they’re coming from a place of hate. It’s dividing us”, she said.  

Patrick Harvie said: “We need to call it out and invest like never before. Governments need to be investing in things like community and youth work, you know, and addressing things like the cost-of-living crisis. Not because those things are an excuse for fascism, but because those are the social conditions that make it easy for fascists to exploit.”