In recent weeks, the streets of north and east Glasgow have been lined with saltires. Scotland’s national flag – rooted in the story of Saint Andrew’s martyrdom and long a symbol of resilience and pride – has become a flashpoint in a growing cultural battle. Flags have been raised as part of a UK-wide action, known as “raise the colours”, amid protests against housing asylum seekers in hotels and rising far-right activity.
In Springburn, a community with no asylum seeker hotels but scarred by deep poverty and known for its diversity of black and other minority ethnic groups, refugee and asylum seekers, hundreds of flags appeared almost overnight. Their sudden presence unsettled many residents. In response, a grassroots coalition – Springburn Anti-Racism Group – was formed to reclaim the saltire and defend the neighbourhood with a message of solidarity and inclusion.
The tension burst into public view last month at a far-right-backed “unity rally” in central Glasgow. Saltires and union flags flew alongside anti-immigrant slogans, while counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism and other groups assembled on the opposite side of police lines. For hours, chants and banners collided in the streets. The standoff ended after five hours with one arrest for the assault of a police officer, and an atmosphere that was heavy with unease, a sense that deeper, wider conflicts were brewing beneath the surface.
While the city-centre rally drew headlines, a quieter struggle is playing out daily in Springburn. The newly formed anti-racist group, which has fewer than 20 members but is growing, says that even small acts of resistance matter. It plans to host community arts and music events to celebrate Springburn’s diversity and is launching an anonymous system for reporting racism, enabling the group to share findings with those who can act. The group fears a storm is gathering and refuses to let it pass unchallenged.
For Moloy Sarker, from the Bangla Centre SCIO charity, the flags first seemed harmless. “I thought it was for a football match. It’s Scotland’s flag, after all,” he recalls. “At first I wasn’t worried. But then I saw online who was putting up the flags and the anti-immigrant slogans tied to them, and I began to feel very anxious.”
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Moloy Sarker, the president and trustee of the Bangla Centre, at the Winter Gardens in Springburn Park
Schoolteacher Debbie Jack joined the group after watching far-right narratives gain traction. “People were in shock, almost sleepwalking, while the news kept targeting immigrants. We decided it was time to act, to protect our pupils and our community.”
Though she hasn’t noticed an increase in racism among her students, she is deeply concerned by how aggressively young white boys are being radicalised online. “Springburn is multicultural. Children from all ethnic backgrounds grow up learning and playing together. That’s the norm. But if we don’t resist, these outside forces will poison that.”
Graham Campbell, a local councillor, a links the tension to Glasgow’s worsening housing crisis. “The north has lost far more homes than it has gained. Tower blocks have been demolished and not replaced with enough new housing. Poverty and poor housing are real issues – but blaming refugees is a dangerous distraction.”
Though flag-hangers often claim their actions are about housing shortages, the NHS, or crime, Campbell disagrees. “If you have grievances, there are legitimate ways to raise them – with councillors, MSPs. This isn’t about housing or protecting communities. It’s about hijacking Scotland’s flag. The National Front tried it years ago, and they failed. These new far-right groups will fail too.”
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Rostyslav Prokhyra, a Ukrainian refugee who settled in the area in 2022, pictured inside the community garden and mural he created with his tenants’ group between two local flats
For refugees, the saltire’s new associations carry a painful weight. Rostyslav Prokhyra, who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helped establish a tenants’ group, community gardens, and clean-up projects in Springburn. He worries that the welcome he once received would be less likely today. “We try to make this a better place for everyone – but suddenly all you hear is that refugees are the problem. That’s not the truth. You can’t judge us all by the actions of a few.”
Mala Jayhindaran and her son Shawn, founders of Springburn Unity Network, share that frustration. After seven years of waiting, they finally gained refugee status in 2023, but for years they had already been serving the community, running food banks, language classes, and family support. “We’ve given years of work here,” says Jayhindaran. “Then people turn around and call us lazy, say we’re a burden. But what have people like Nigel Farage ever done for Springburn? Nothing. For them it’s political theatre. For us, it’s survival.”
For Shawn, joining the anti-racism group is about both prevention and hope. “Our greatest identity is not where we are from, but how we connect with the world and we want to prove that most of Springburn isn’t racist.”
The flags remain, fluttering over Springburn as uneasy reminders of division. Residents brace for the possibility that hostility will intensify during the next election cycle. “It’ll feel like dodging racist bullets all over again,”Jack warns.
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Debbie Jack, a local schoolteacher and member of the Springburn Anti-Racism Group: ‘We decided it was time to act, to protect our pupils and our community.’
What is happening in Springburn reflects a broader struggle across Scotland and beyond: a battle over national symbols, identity, and belonging. The far right’s resurgence may be global, but so too is the resistance against it.
As Sarker puts it, small acts carry weight: “We may be tiny compared with the scale of global politics, but change always begins at the community level. Even here in Springburn, we can spark something bigger – showing that compassion is stronger than division.”
