A shocked councillor was just finishing a speech on welcoming Afghan refugees into the area when he received a racist message from a local resident.
Dougie Campbell, a former volunteer with the Scottish Refugee Council, helped secure a commitment 18 months ago for Dumfries and Galloway to resettle 20 families who were fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The move was part of the UK-wide Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme that promised shelter to families who had previously supported UK and US troops in Afghanistan, but then faced being slaughtered after the Taliban regained power in 2021.
Councillor Campbell gave a speech at Thursday’s full council meeting, asking why only one family had been resettled here since 2021 at a time when thousands of Afghans are languishing in hotels all over the UK.
As he finished his speech, the Dee and Glenkens councillor said: “I’ve just received a message, and I think it’s indicative that we, as councillors, are community leaders and we need to challenge racism.”
In the message an individual insults Muslims and adds: “They can stay away where they are – as far away as possible.”
Councillor Katie Hagmann, who seconded Mr Campbell’s motion to speed up the resettlement of Afghans here, said: “I’m so deeply saddened, and actually quite horrified, by that message Councillor Campbell has received.
“To receive such a racist message while we, as a region and council, have aspired to be opening our borders and opening our homes.
“I was going to make reference to our local refugee charity MOOL, which stands for massive outpouring of love.
“This was set up in the wake of the Syrian crisis, and I was up and down the region in my van filled with donations because the communities were so desperate that they wanted to help people fleeing persecution.”
The councillors agreed to reaffirm their pledge to house 20 Afghan families in the region.
Council leader Gail Macgregor will write to the Home Secretary seeking answers over the delay in the resettlement of Afghans to Dumfries and Galloway, and to restate the region’s commitment to participate in the scheme.
