Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Falkirk on Saturday as rival protests over the housing of asylum seekers at the Cladhan Hotel escalated tensions in the town. Large crowds from both pro and anti-immigration groups faced each other across police lines, chanting slogans, holding signs, and trading accusations in one of the most heated demonstrations Scotland has seen this summer.
The event marked the second major protest outside the Cladhan Hotel this month. Anti-immigration groups carried placards with messages such as “stop the boats” and “enough is enough,” while counter-demonstrators responded with chants of “refugees are welcome here.” Police set up barriers and deployed officers in large numbers to keep the two sides apart, underscoring fears of violence that have accompanied recent asylum hotel protests across Scotland.
Earlier in the day, anti-immigration campaigners staged a rally in Falkirk town centre near the office of the local MP. Families and children were among the participants, who waved Saltire and Union flags alongside banners reading “save our futures and our kids’ futures.” Some speakers addressed the crowd through loudspeakers, with one insisting the community had “legitimate concerns about too much illegal immigration.” He rejected accusations of racism, saying: “We are described as Nazis and racists. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Other speakers criticized government immigration policy and denounced the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. They also attacked mainstream media, claiming outlets such as the BBC had failed to represent citizens’ concerns. The rhetoric escalated when one speaker ended with the phrase: “Keep Britain white. Keep Scotland white,” a remark that drew sharp condemnation from counter-protesters.
Organizers originally planned to march from the town centre to the Cladhan Hotel but abandoned the idea after police and council officials warned of legal consequences. Despite the cancellation, a crowd of demonstrators split from the main protest shortly after 1 p.m. and moved toward the hotel, where they joined another group facing pro-immigration campaigners.
Pro-refugee organizers defended asylum seekers and rejected attempts to blame them for wider social and economic pressures. One activist, identifying herself only as Sage, said: “So many people are blaming the ills of our society—the housing crisis, the cost of living—on people fleeing here from around the world. The real issue is people in government aren’t tackling the problems properly, and the wrong people are being blamed.”
Similar demonstrations unfolded in Aberdeen on Saturday, where about 120 anti-immigration protesters gathered outside a hotel on Links Road, with around 50 counter-protesters staging their own demonstration. Once again, police kept both groups apart as tensions rose, with chants, insults, and even dueling bagpipe music echoing through the streets.
Scotland has witnessed a wave of asylum hotel protests throughout August, including in Perth, Aberdeenshire, and Falkirk. The Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk and the Radisson Blu in Perth have housed asylum seekers since August 2022. Protest groups, including Save Our Future, have denied accusations of racism but have faced scrutiny for inflammatory banners seen at earlier events. One banner displayed at a previous Falkirk rally carried the message “kill ’em all,” which organizers later distanced themselves from.
Underlying tensions have been heightened by a high-profile criminal case in Falkirk. In June, an Afghan asylum seeker, 29-year-old Sadeq Nikzad, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in the town centre. The conviction has fueled anger among anti-immigration groups and added intensity to their protests.
Protests against asylum seeker housing are not new in Scotland. In 2015, the Scottish Defence League organized a rally in Ayr, while far-right groups Patriotic Alternative and Homeland staged demonstrations in Erskine in 2023. Officials remain concerned that such gatherings risk being exploited by extremist movements, even as community divisions deepen over immigration and housing policy.
For now, Falkirk has become the latest flashpoint in Scotland’s ongoing debate over asylum and immigration, with both sides vowing to continue making their voices heard.
