FAR-RIGHT activists have staged fascist-style demonstrations in Scotland’s two biggest cities which an expert has said are “reminiscent of how Hitler staged National Socialism”.
On June 18 at 10pm, around 60 men dressed in black organised into four columns outside Glasgow Cathedral. Craig Houston, a Scottish podcaster and member of the neo-Nazi-backed Restore Britain party, shared video of the event and suggested it showed “Glasgow rising”.
Houston noted that the activists had laid a “wreath to our fallen” which read “we apologise", as well as a card reading "il fine giustifica i mezzi" – Italian for “the end justifies the means”.
The symbolism was noted by Grant Calder, the Reform UK activist who was suspended from the party after The National reported on his antisemitic remarks. “Hurrah for the blackshirts,” Calder wrote, alongside a lightning emoji, an eagle emoji, and an image of the historical British fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
hurrah for the blackshirts ⚡️🦅🤚🏻😂 pic.twitter.com/HlSgcTTKTm
— Grant Calder (@GrantCalder_92) June 19, 2026
Six days later, on June 24, a similar fascist-style protest was held outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, The Times reported.
Again, video recorded by Houston showed around 60 men dressed in black lined up in four columns, reminiscent of a fascist-era “drill square”, and again laid an apology wreath.
Professor Thomas Weber, an expert in the rise of Adolf Hitler at the University of Aberdeen, linked the apology wreath “to our fallen” to the “cult of the fallen” in early 20th-century fascism.
He said on the demonstrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh: “These are mishmash events with echoes of Italian fascist Blackshirts, the Nazi ‘cult of the fallen’, the misappropriation of Machiavelli by non-German Nazi collaborators, today’s marches of Russian hypernationalists and neo-Nazis, and of homegrown Scottish extremism on the fringes of the Rangers support.”
Webb added: “We are seeing an attempt to create a new political religion of violent action, aimed at mobilising Scots to commit themselves to a life of violence and murder in the service of fantasies of national survival.
“This is reminiscent of how Hitler staged National Socialism as a political religion of action, aimed at getting Germans off their sofas and to commit themselves to a life of National Socialist sacrifice.”
Houston, who formerly posted videos about Rangers football club before pivoting to hard-right politics, on social media denied that the Blackshirts group was made up of “the EDL [English Defence League] and Union bears”.
He has also denied any involvement in organising the fascist-style demonstrations.
They come after racist rioters in Glasgow attacked people based on the colour of their skin amid disorder on June 9 , and a terror-linked attack allegedly targeting Muslim people in Edinburgh on June 19.
Police Scotland chief superintendent Stevie Dolan said of the latest demonstrations: “We were made aware of silent protests in Edinburgh and Glasgow recently. Whilst there were no arrests, requests for police attendance or complaints made, we are mindful of the impact that protests can have on communities.
“Campaigning and demonstration are a legitimate, necessary and vital part of life. People have the right to express their views lawfully and to protest peacefully. Whilst we balance and help facilitate those rights, our priority will always be public safety. Violence, disorder, hate crime and threatening behaviour is not legitimate protest.
“Every situation is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. This includes what may constitute a criminal offence based on variable circumstances for individual incidents.
“If any criminality is committed, proportionate and decisive action will be taken.”
