Anonymous social media accounts are “tapping into fears of communities”, a senior police officer has said following disorder in Glasgow this week.
Protests sprang up in the Cranhill and Castlemilk areas of the city outside homes where online rumours suggested people accused of criminality were living.
A 32-year-old man was arrested at the first protest, while vandalism and a projectile being thrown from the crowd were reported at the second – which police have said was as a result of “mistaken identity”, with an “innocent member of the public” being targeted.
The protests are the latest in months of simmering tensions in Scotland’s biggest city, which included racist attacks on members of the public in the city centre last month.
I think in almost each of these protests, information that's been put out, has actually been factually incorrect
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: “Anonymous accounts – so therefore we can’t engage in advance of any protest – (are) definitely tapping into fears of communities.
“I think in almost each of these protests, information that’s been put out, has actually been factually incorrect.
“So, communities being scared, rising up, tapping into their fears, but actually the base cause of it has been misinformation put out by somebody that’s probably not been local to that community in the first place.
“That’s a really challenging dynamic, and it’s one that we are now facing on a daily basis.”
Mr Waddell pointed to a reported protest elsewhere in the city planned for this weekend, which he said is based on “entirely factually incorrect” information about a care home being expanded to house asylum seekers.
Glasgow City Council has also knocked down the rumours about the facility in Possilpark, for which a planning application has been submitted to build an extension.
On the same programme, David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said the scenes were “disgraceful” and had been “orchestrated by individuals that are not from Glasgow”.
“I think it’s happening right now because there’s certain individuals (for whom) it’s about violence, it’s not about protest, it’s about causing disruption,” he said.
Those taking part in the protests were being “manipulated” and “used”, he added.
Mr Kennedy went on to call for more police officers to be on Scotland’s streets.
Speaking to the broadcaster, Thomas Kerr, the deputy leader of Reform UK Scotland said: “The city feels as if it’s at breaking point and that’s now coming to a head because the political establishment, in particular, have ignored working class communities for far too long.”
He added: “I’m always supportive of protests, where it crosses the line is when you see violence, which is what we’ve seen in Cranhill.
“When you start smashing up police cars, attacking police officers, you lose the fight.”
SNP MSP Zen Ghani, who represents Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok, said online rhetoric had been “horrendous”.
“The misinformation is of a great concern, whether that’s misinformation we’re seeing pass through communities or misinformation online, it’s extremely concerning,” he added.