Scots cannot ‘sit back’ and assume far right will not rise here – Swinney
John Swinney has said Scots cannot “sit back” and assume the politics of the far right will not take hold in this country, as he prepares for a summit to tackle the issue this week.
The First Minister said he wanted to “strengthen our democratic society” at the meeting in Glasgow on Wednesday.
He has invited other political parties, faith leaders and community groups to the event discussing the rise of the far-right, in which he includes Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
In his first of a series of regular columns for the Daily Record, Mr Swinney said: “It feels like society is becoming ever more polarised and the world around us ever more uncertain.
“There have always been those who seek to exploit such fear and anxiety to sow hatred, to demonise minority groups, to spread disinformation and even undermine democracy itself.
“None of this anxiety is unique to Scotland. The far right is on the rise across the West – we must not sit back and assume it cannot happen here.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has said he will not attend the event, describing it as a “talking shop” and suggesting the First Minister should hold a summit on organised crime instead.
Reform UK councillor Thomas Kerr previously called the summit “anti-democratic”, saying it showed “just how worried the political establishment are that Reform UK is here to stay”.