A 200-strong police presence has been praised for averting a potential flashpoint between rival protesters in the centre of Dundee on Saturday.
The operation on Saturday afternoon ensured the Scottish Defence League’s first demonstration in the city passed off peacefully.
Officers from across Scotland were drafted in to help Tayside Police keep 80 members of the far-right SDL apart from a counter demonstration by several hundred anti-racism and anti-fascism campaigners, operating under the Dundee Together banner, in the City Square.
The two buses of far-right protesters who travelled from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayrshire on Saturday morning were met by officers on the outskirts of the city and police outriders escorted them into the centre, where they were corralled into a fenced-off area near Union Street.
A three-deep cordon of officers kept both groups apart while the SDL held a 45-minute rally.
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie praised the way the situation was handled.
”I was there mid-afternoon and it was extremely well-managed and extremely well stewarded,” he said. ”I think the message was very clear indeed. Large numbers of people were happy to say no to racism in any guise in Dundee.”
The SDL had applied to Dundee City Council for permission to march through the streets but were turned down.
A suggestion by the police to place both groups in separate areas of City Square, which they claimed would make it easier to control, was also rejected.
Duncan McCabe of Dundee Together said: ”I think it was a big success. Our event in the City Square went very well. The police were very courteous to everyone at our end and I thought our own stewarding worked well.”
Hundreds gathered in the City Square from 10am for the Dundee Together multi-cultural music festival before the group staged a ”pro-diversity” march to Albert Square, where wreaths were laid as a mark of respect to the Dundonians who fought fascism in Spain in the 1930s.
Mr McCabe added: ”I think Dundee showed that we don’t want our communities divided against each other. We don’t want the problems there are elsewhere. We are not interested in the policies of hatred in other places.”
Fellow festival organiser Hamish Drummond, chairman of Dundee Trades Union Council, added: ”It’s wonderful to see so many of Dundee’s people come out and show support for us today. The SDL and other racists and fascists like them are not welcome here.
”They wanted to come here today to spread their message of hate and intolerance on our streets, but the people of Dundee have come together to show that’s not what they want.”
SDL member James Smith pledged the group would return to Dundee.
”We’ve shown Dundee City Council for what they are in that they are discriminating against us,” he said. ”We’ve proved that we’ve held a peaceful demonstration.
”We will be back again next year but we will be marching right through the city centre.”
Group spokesman Graham Walker added: ”We’re not a racist or fascist group. We’re here to protest against militant Islam, terrorism and the abuse of women.”
Superintendent Jim Leslie, who led the policing, said: ”The events in Dundee today provided significant challenges in terms of minimising the impact on the Dundee public.
”I would like to thank all city centre users for their understanding and appreciate the many supportive messages that we have already received.
”Over 200 officers were involved in this from a number of forces and I am extremely grateful to them for their support.
”I was very impressed by the professionalism and commitment of all officers involved.”