A SCOTTISH trad concert hopes to combat the rise of anti-immigration rhetoric by raising money for a refugee charity.
The Flight of the Wild Geese event is taking place on Sunday at St Luke's in Glasgow, with all the proceeds going towards the charity Refuweegee.
The gig has been organised by Craig Harrison, a professional fiddler from Co Clare in Ireland who first moved to Scotland nine years ago for university.
There will be four different performances from trad artists: Lewis McLaughlin, Heather Cartwright and Sam Mabbett, Ellie Beaton and Ape House, which Harrison is a member of.
All the proceeds from the concert go directly to Glasgow charity Refuweegee, which make welcome packs and provide everyday essentials to asylum seekers and refugees in the city.
"They're an excellent charity, they're not supported by the Government, they're supported entirely by the generous donations of the people of Glasgow," Harrison told The National.
Harrison highlighted the importance of events like these given the rise of anti-immigration protests in Scotland, including one organised in Glasgow city centre on Saturday.
The "unity protest" on Glasgow's Buchanan Street Steps, organised by convicted domestic abuser and anti-immigration podcaster John Watt, was met with a largescale counter-protest that sent a message of solidarity with refugees.
A 47-year-old man was arrested after a police officer was assaulted at the rally.
Harrison said the anti-immigration protesters reflected "the voices of very few people who don't represent what Glasgow is really about".
He said: "We need to show that a protest like that, that's not the majority speaking – they are a minority. The spirit of people in Glasgow that I've known since I've lived here has always been very pro-immigration."
Harrison pointed towards the Kenmure Street protest in Glasgow in 2021, which saw hundreds of people rush to the street in Pollokshields to prevent two Indian nationals from being taken away by detention officers.
"That was a much more authentic display of what Glasgow about," Harrison said.
"So putting on an event like this is definitely a chance to show that events like [Saturday's] protest aren't really what we're about."
Harrison said Glasgow is "one of the major hubs worldwide" for traditional music.
"There's a real appetite for it here," he said.
"I play the fiddle as my job now, but I didn't know that I was going to do that when I came over, and I didn't realise how much of a cultural centre Glasgow was when I moved over.
"The traditional music and dance culture is alive in Glasgow in a way that I wasn't used to."
Harrison urged people to come to the gig on Sunday and to support Refuweegee.
He said: "If you've got any interest in traditional music, say you went to a show at Celtic Connections that you liked or you've seen somebody singing a traditional Scottish song that you liked, that's a good reason to come."
Added: "On the political agenda there's reasons to come as well, because we're supporting a great cause, particularly in light of the events of [Sunday] and of the last year up and down Scotland and the UK."
To find out more and to get tickets, click here.
