Police in Dundee say they are “monitoring community tensions” as an anti-racism group plans a protest in the city.
Stand Up to Racism – Scotland is set to hold a “stop the far right” protest at City Square on Saturday as part of a national day of action.
The event is in response to disorder in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland in the wake of the murder of three girls at a dance event in Southport last week.
However, there have also been unverified posts on social media suggesting there may be anti-immigration protests at locations across Scotland.
Police say they have “no intelligence” there will be any disorder in Tayside but are keeping a close eye on the situation.
Dundee police ‘have dedicated patrols in place’
An email sent to Dundee councillors by officers on Tuesday said: “Following events in England over the last few days, Police Scotland has been closely monitoring the situation and a national operation is in place.
“We are currently monitoring intelligence and community tensions.
“In response to this, we have dedicated patrols in place and ongoing engagement with the communities that may be impacted by these events.
“As it stands, there is no current intelligence to suggest disorder in the Tayside area.”
Council leader John Alexander has been in talks with police about events south of the border.
He told The Courier: “I think I speak for everyone when I say how horrified we’ve been at watching the images coming from a number of English cities, including where I have family myself.
“There’s little more to say than state my utter condemnation of the thuggery and chaos that those involved have brought.
“While I don’t expect or anticipate scenes like that here, we should never be complacent.
“As you’d expect, I’ve been in contact with council officials and Police Scotland colleagues over the week to ensure we are utilising all intelligence to anticipate and deal with any issues as they arise.
“At present, there is nothing to indicate that there should be any cause for concern locally.
‘Dundee is a welcoming and caring city’
“Peaceful protest is a right in this country but people can’t pretend or hide behind that to bring violence to the streets.
“Dundee is a welcoming and caring city but more than that, Dundonians have an abundance of common sense and are intelligent.
“Dundee will continue to display its caring nature for decades to come, I’m certain.”
On Wednesday, Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell and her assistant Gary Ritchie met with First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh.
Mr Ritchie said: “We continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure any potential for violence or disorder in Scotland is identified quickly and responded to immediately.
“We are aware of a number of potential protests, and counter protests, over the coming weeks, which will be policed appropriately but we are not going to speculate on or add publicity to individual potential events.
“Violence and disorder is not legitimate protest and anyone who engages in disorder will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.
“We continue to be in close touch with other UK police services should requests for support be required.”
It comes as police urged people to avoid speculation on social media after claims of a protest being held in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Dundee-based former first minister Humza Yousaf has said he could leave Scotland due to Islamophobia fears off the back of the disorder.
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