Why far-right unrest didn't spread to Scotland: Expert explains

-Scotland avoided far-right violence seen in other parts of UK, says political scientist

-Scotland's weather and distinctive civic identity helped prevent far-right riots, explains John Curtice, political science professor

LONDON

The recent wave of far-right violence that erupted across parts of the UK following a deadly knife attack in the town of Southport did not spread to Scotland, despite unrest in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

According to John Curtice, a political scientist at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, several factors contributed to Scotland’s avoidance of such violence.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Curtice highlighted that the message of far-right groups using "Britishness" as a national identity had little impact in Scotland.

"People who prioritize their identity as English tend to be people who are more socially conservative on immigration, Islam, diversity in general," he explained.

He added that in England, Britishness is presented as a civic and multicultural identity. In Scotland, however, the focus is on promoting Scottishness as a civic identity.

"In Scotland, because the SNP (ruling Scottish National Party) are a civic nationalist party, they have long promoted Scottishness as a civic identity, and people from minority background in Scotland who, if they identify as anything, will tend to identify Scottish, not as British,” he explained.

"But the point is that north of the border, hardly anybody identifies as English, and that's the point about the English Defense League," Curtice said, referring to a possibly defunct far-right Islamophobic group, but whose views may be typical of many of the far-right figures who spread violence in the wake of the July 29 Southport attack, using misinformation that blamed the attack on a Muslim asylum seeker.

Less polarization around immigration

Curtice also highlighted that Scotland’s much smaller Muslim population compared to England plays a significant role.

With only about 3-4% of Scotland’s population identifying as Muslim, compared to 7-8% in England, far-right groups in Scotland see minorities as less of a so-called "threat."

He also pointed to Scotland’s political climate, where immigration is less of a polarizing issue.

This is partly because immigration policies are handled by the UK Parliament, and the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) has little involvement, according to Curtice.

Additionally, Scotland recently had prominent Muslim leaders, including former First Minister Humza Yousaf and Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar, which Curtice noted as significant.

"Scotland is perhaps unusual in having very prominent examples of people who identify as Muslim who are well and truly part of Scottish society, Scottish political debate, etc.," he observed.

Finally, Curtice pointed to an everyday factor that may have had in discouraging outdoor gatherings – namely, poor weather.

Though groups of people are more likely to congregate outside in the summer, this summer in Scotland has been colder and wetter than usual, which means people have been less likely to gather outside.

"You put all this together, and I think the truth is the circumstances and the spark north of the border are just don't have the same resonance," said Curtice.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul