By Professor John Robertson OBA
Many thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this.
In the Guardian today, by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent, an image of a hate crime billboard in Glasgow and:
Some of the UK’s largest police forces have reported increases in religious hate crimes in the past 18 months, figures reveal, with the number of incidents rising after the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict in autumn 2023 and again after the Southport attacks in England this summer.
Forces including Greater Manchester, West Midlands and the Metropolitan police recorded sharp increases in antisemitic offences in the weeks after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East in October last year.
The same forces then saw an increase in Islamophobic offences after the knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July that left three young girls dead and several more injured, and led to violent disorder in towns and cities across the country.
The figures, obtained by the PA Media news agency using freedom of information requests, show that Greater Manchester police recorded an average of 13 antisemitic offences a month from January to September 2023, rising to 85 in October and 68 in November before falling back over the following months.
There is no mention of Glasgow or of Scotland in the report, other than under the chosen image making the choice odd.
On October 10th 2024, the Guardian had reported:
Religious hate crimes in England and Wales have soared by 25% to record levels, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict, government statistics show. The increase, from 8,370 to 10,484 offences reported to police forces in the year to March, was driven by a rise in offences against Jewish people and to a lesser extent Muslims, the Home Office said. According to the statistical bulletin, the total of 10,484 anti-religious offences was the highest annual tally of these offences since hate crime records began in the year ending March 2012.
Today, the Guardian’s North of England correspondent, not unusually, has not looked north to see this:
In June 2024, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland, reported:
There were 523 charges with a religious aggravation reported in 2023-24, 12% fewer than in 2022-23. This is the lowest annual number of charges reported since 2004-05.
https://www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/hate-crime-in-scotland-2023-24/html/
The two periods covered are not exactly the same, March 2023 to March 2024 in Scotland and the last 12 months in England and wales but the the atrocities in Gaza did begin in October 2023 and so would have been a major factor in the Scottish data too.
So, remembering the above limitation, 10 484 and 523 (around 5-6 000 pro rata) are starkly different figures, TWICE as worrying in England and Wales.
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brown_(Scottish_activis
Talking-up Scotland 
The metropolitan media use the novel, “No Mean City” as a reference book about present day Glasgow.
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One of the primary movers in advancing the struggle against religious hatred in Scotland has been Interfaith Scotland whose Director, in the days of Nicola Sturgeon, used to report directly to the First Minister. It not only brings traditionally oppositional faith groups together, it helps them coordinate their efforts when it comes to stemming religious bigotry within their own ranks by sharing best practice and providing contacts with others of different faiths who have had to face similar problems. It has mentored the multi-faith cooperative charitable ventures such as those that feed and warm the homeless at Christmas and promoted multiple programmes designed to ease the the entry of vulnerable refugees into Scottish society.
Unhappily, there is a rumour going around among normally well informed sources that it is about to have its funding permanently removed in favour of a watered down government committee composed of the politically aligned. Given the general health of the relationships between faith groups who have jointly made huge efforts to quell religious bigotry, if confirmed, our ability to tackle these issues might not remain as strong.
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When I first clicked/open guardian page I just read the contents and thought UK wide problem…then only mentions of England…eehh..uk-england guff and used to it.
However, when I reopened the page the link to “Glasgow billboard” subliminally appeared in the loading of the page.
There was no mention of Scotland and hate crimes.
There was no mention of Glasgow and hate crimes.
Just the SUBLIMINAL link between GLASGOW and HATE.
Scotland and Scots have their faults, but falling for subversive propaganda needs to be fought by anyone interested in an independent Scotland.
Prof John is a shining light,
Yur lum may reek o’ this xxxx,
but it’ll blae clear.
Dottie
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2 %Muslim. 6,000 Jewish people in Scotland. One was FM. The other a prominent Tory politician.
The religions have privileges above the Law. The equal opportunities and employment Laws. 30% Protestant. 16% Catholic. Scotland is secular. The Queen did not appreciate Orange Marches. Bigoted, racist and misogynist. Secret. Blackballing people. The monarch at the Head.
The riots in the South. 43% of BALM people live in deprivation. They would be better eradicating poverty. Letting asylum people work. The UK the most unequal place in the world.
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