It is vital for Scotland to be united against extremism, says Swinney

First Minister John Swinney has insisted it is “absolutely vital” for Scotland to “remain united against extremism”.

John Swinney used a speech to trade union leaders to highlight the “pressure” from the “rise of far-right ideologies”.

The First Minister, who last week chaired a summit on the issue, spoke of the threat posed to “Scotland’s democracy, our communities and the values we hold dear”.

His comments came as he urged trade unions to work with him to “ensure Scotland is a country that will be able in the years to come to say that we successfully resisted the far-right ideologies that are spreading increasingly around the world”.

He told the Scottish Trades Union Congress in Dundee: “I consider it to be absolutely vital that we remain united against extremism in all of its forms in our society today.”

Mr Swinney’s plea came after the congress heard of the “spine-chilling” language boys in schools use against women.

Kim Gillanders, a secondary teacher and member of the NASUWT teaching union, blamed influencers on social media for such behaviour being seen as “acceptable”.

She told the congress: “The way that boys are speaking about girls and women teachers is spine-chilling.”

Ms Gillanders said boys had said made comments such as “women are only good for one thing” and “It doesn’t matter if they say no.”

Her comments came as the annual gathering focused on tackling the far right, with the STUC meeting just days after its general secretary Roz Foyer was at Mr Swinney’s summit.

Talat Ahmed, the co-chair of the STUC’s Black Workers Committee, warned that Reform UK was an “existential threat” ahead of next year’s Holyrood election, and described party leader Nigel Farage’s pledge to appoint a minister for deportation if they win the next election as “Nazi-esque”.

Ms Ahmed said: “We have to reject the politics of divide and rule. That’s why it’s critical to challenge them at the ballot box.”

She later added that the prospect of Mr Farage’s party winning as many as 12 seats at Holyrood next year was a “real frightening prospect”, claiming that a good result for the party in this week’s English local elections could represent a “seismic shift”.

Speaking as the three-day event got underway, Ms Foyer stressed that tackling the far right would require living and working standards to be improved.

“If we ever hope to defeat the far-right populism that has infected our politics and our communities, then we must take the shackles off workers,” she said.

“To do so, we must raise standards: the standard of living, the standard of our public services and the standard of our political discourse.”

A spokesman for Reform UK said: “Scotland is a proud nation built by people of all backgrounds, and Reform UK stands for fairness, security and opportunity for every law-abiding citizen.

“It is telling that instead of debating ideas openly, our political opponents resort to baseless smears and hysterical comparisons to shut down discussion. This behaviour reflects their fear of real change, not our values.

“We believe in controlled, compassionate immigration, a fair economy that rewards hard work, and safe communities where the law is respected by all. That is not extremist, it is common sense, and it reflects the views of millions of ordinary Scots.

“Reform UK will not be intimidated or silenced by politically motivated attacks.

“We are focused on giving Scotland a new choice, one based on truth, responsibility, and respect for the people, not on fear or division.”