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Reform MSP reports Scottish human rights lawyer to police over ‘hate speech’ at immigration protest
Reform UK's deputy leader in Scotland, Thomas Kerr, has reported prominent human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar to Police Scotland over a speech Anwar made at a counter-protest against anti-immigration demonstrators in Glasgow. Kerr claims Anwar's remarks amounted to hate speech that could stoke hostility towards Scots based on their political views, nationality, ethnicity and cultural identity, while Anwar has dismissed the complaint as a waste of police time and accused Kerr of being a "wannabe tartan Tommy Robinson".
In his speech, Anwar argued that "racist thugs" had unfairly blamed Muslims and non-white people collectively for isolated incidents, including an alleged attempted murder in Belfast and an alleged anti-Muslim knife attack in Edinburgh, and questioned how such attacks would be characterised if committed by non-white perpetrators against white communities. Anwar hit back at Kerr by noting that Reform members, including Glasgow councillor Audrey Dempsey, had attended a "Unite the Klans" rally where speakers made comments about racial "replacement", and said around 1,700 people took part in Saturday's demonstrations in Glasgow, some of which turned violent.
In short
- Reform MSP Thomas Kerr reported lawyer Aamer Anwar to police over protest speech
- Anwar accused Kerr of wasting police time, called him a "wannabe tartan Tommy Robinson"
- Row follows violent Glasgow protests involving roughly 1,700 people on Saturday
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Kerr’s complaint can be defended as an attempt to ensure that public speech is assessed under the same rules regardless of the speaker’s cause or political position. If Anwar’s language could reasonably be understood as directing hostility at people for their nationality, ethnicity or political views, referring it to police allows the authorities to assess that concern rather than leaving it to partisan judgement.
The case against
Anwar’s speech can be defended as forceful criticism of collective blame and anti-immigration protest rhetoric, not an attack on people because of their identity. On this view, reporting it risks treating political argument about racism and public demonstrations as criminal speech, particularly when the complaint comes from a political opponent and the remarks were made in response to perceived hostility towards Muslims and non-white people.
Explained simply
Scotland has seen significant demonstrations in recent months focused on immigration policy and community identity, with anti-immigration protests drawing large crowds and counter-protests organised by those opposing them. These demonstrations reflect deepening political divisions over immigration and how communities are portrayed in public debate, and some have turned violent, illustrating the intensity of disagreement on these issues.
Aamer Anwar is a human rights lawyer who participated in counter-demonstrations against anti-immigration protests. Thomas Kerr is deputy leader of Reform UK in Scotland, a party that has campaigned strongly against immigration. Kerr has reported Anwar to Police Scotland, claiming that a speech Anwar made at a counter-protest amounted to hate speech capable of stirring hostility towards Scots based on their nationality and cultural identity.
In his speech, Anwar discussed how Muslim and non-white communities are unfairly blamed collectively for isolated incidents, and questioned how attacks would be characterised if perpetrators came from different ethnic backgrounds. The complaint raises questions about where the boundaries lie between free speech and hate speech in contentious political debate, with both anti-immigration campaigners and their opponents accusing each other of extremism.