AN ELDERLY woman was hospitalised during a far-right protest in Edinburgh.
The 64-year–old pensioner was part of a group from Stand Up To Racism, who gathered in response to the far-right Great British National Strike in the Meadows on Friday.
In a clip shared by the anti-racism group, an individual can be seen throwing a placard. It is understood that the woman may have then been struck by the sign.
An image shows police officers standing around her as she bleeds profusely from the head.
Police Scotland confirmed she was then taken to hospital for treatment and that enquiries are ongoing.
Hitting out at the far-right group, Stand up to Racism said: "We are seeing the far-right returning to the streets of Scotland, following violent racist protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers.
"This anti-refugee sentiment has sadly been whipped up by Starmer’s ‘Island of strangers’ speech and the scapegoating rhetoric of far-right Reform UK. After a 250-strong rally that involved speakers from a wide spectrum of the left, anti-racists blocked the fascists from assembling, and eventually the ‘master race’ was forced to disappear up a side street."
Edinburgh Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda said of the incident: "I was proud to stand with the many counter protesters who came on Friday to stand up to the far right.
"The level of aggression from the so-called Scottish patriots was shocking and in my opinion merited dispersal. There can be no equivalence between the lively behaviour of the counter-protest organised by SUTR and the threatening behaviour I witnessed on the other side which culminated in a head injury of an older woman due to an aggressively thrown placard.
"I urge everyone to give short shrift to these opportunists who are trying to take advantage of the difficult times many are facing in Edinburgh – this is not the fault of migrants or refugees but of a system which continues to put profit above people and politicians who are failing to deliver the radical policies needed to change this broken system."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.20pm on Friday, 1 August, 2025, we received a report of an assault at a protest on Hope Park Avenue, Edinburgh,
“Officers were in attendance, and a 64-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. Enquiries are ongoing."
