Major Incident in Glasgow

[INeedAHol]

I can hear nothing but sirens from my flat.

Have read that it appears to be a terrorist attack, but not confirmed. At least 3 dead. Glasgow city centre. Just awful

@Nicknacky and @Redglitter hope your shifts were ok last night, west coast here too and we have friends in police who were on in g'gow yesterday. Thanks for what you do.

Yes, but you have to see it from the perspective of people like Joy. This kind of unfairness is what causes anti-immigration sentiment. Lots of people born here are dealt a really shit hand in life but no asylum claims for them. You can’t blame them for feeling sore.

Yes, but you have to see it from the perspective of people like Joy. This kind of unfairness is what causes anti-immigration sentiment. Lots of people born here are dealt a really shit hand in life but no asylum claims for them. You can’t blame them for feeling sore. I agree.

I really don't think the asylum seekers are getting a good deal and people who think otherwise really need to have a real think about the conditions they are living under.

Yes, it may be a 4 star hotel in the real world, but it is currently just a detention centre.

People were moved there from homes with as little as an hours notice and have been living in one small room for 13 weeks. They are no longer being given money as they are being provided with meals. To get these meals they have had to go and mix with strangers in a big room which don't allow for social distancing at all. The meals are below standard and if you don't eat the meals you literally have no other money for any other food. Or any money for anything. They literally have no income for toiletries or phone calls or anything.

They have no phone, patchy internet, cut off, living in a room with no where else to go. Already vulnerable people living with next to no support. There have been real issues within the hotels, a suicide and reports of unrest. They tried to peacefully protest and were attacked by the right wing statute protectors.

So I don't see how anyone could see how these people are getting more that Scottish residents or are being treated in some way better. They are not living in some kind of permanent spa break.

Sky News - known in the business as "never wrong for long"

INeedaHol - don’t get me wrong. I do see that, and I sympathise with them. Unfortunately not many people “do” nuance...people

How do asylum seekers do in Turkey or wherever ? Do they get given money?

I agree that i dont think they have been enjoying a lovely holiday in a hotel, but also wonder why people who have been refuses assylum (? Correct me if im wrong but i read that this was the status of these people) are still here at all? Government has put themselves in a dodgy situation by inadequately housing people they shouldn't have been housing in the first place?

...sorry, posted too soon.

There are people who will be in conditions that are not far off that, apart from perhaps the lack of spending money.

For me the degree of sympathy I would have would depend on a number of things, but in particular: what exactly is their status? If their asylum claim has been declined and they have declined the opportunity to be repatriated then it does change things. I have no idea about that.

I don't think that is true that they have been denied asylum as it is being reported that they were at the beginning of the process.

This is the trouble. Ordinary folk don’t understand these nuances. It’s easy to stir up bad feeling.

This is the trouble. Ordinary folk don’t understand these nuances. It’s easy to stir up bad feeling.

Invariably, certain types of people don't care about the nuances, or even the truth, as long as what they choose to believe justifies (in their mind) their pre-existing biases.

Government has put themselves in a dodgy situation by inadequately housing people they shouldn't have been housing in the first place?

Folk with failed asylum claims have the right of appeal, and many failed asylum claims are overturned on appeal suggesting the original decision was incorrect. But from my understanding the people in this hotel were at the start of their process so weren’t due to be repatriated.

The lack of humanity and common decency towards people who have already experienced significant trauma is quite awful.

I have always been so proud to say I’m Scottish. Glasgow is my nearest city, it’s somewhere I go for work, leisure, medical appointments, shopping, meals with family and friends, sporting events and concerts. People truly do make Glasgow and those people come from all over the world. Don’t let the actions of one individual fill your heart with hatred for others.

There was another stabbing today. What's going on in Glasgow?

@fascinated

I appreciate what you are trying to get at. People in the UK certainly live in poverty, experience job loss, mental health issues etc which can certainly be awful and feel "unfair".

In most instances, asylum seekers have been living in chaotic / dysfunctional / dangerous countries through no fault of their own, certainly also very "unfair".

The suspect is from Sudan ( often considered to be a failed state) where the War Lord leaders have committed genocide & human rights abuses. Unfortunately the UK govt has done trade deals w/ these same leaders, so essentially we have helped to fund these actions / exacerbate the situation.

It's difficult to take a step back and see the bigger picture if your life feels tough or overwhelming, however it would be sad if we lost our capacity for empathy or compassion in the process.

@dementedpixie

There was another stabbing today. What's going on in Glasgow?

Sadly it probably happens a lot more than is widely reported, but the news will be making it a bigger story after what happened on Friday

I see all of that and I appreciate the difficulties with crafting an asylum system for Europe / the developed world that balances the need to offer safety to only those genuinely in need with the interests of the existing population in the host countries. This is, however, probably a debate that is best had by those who are properly informed and away from the emotion stirred up by this specific incident.

Glasgow’s hospitals specialise in stab wounds. Sadly.

Where I live in Glasgow, all of the shootings and stabbings locally are carried out by white Scottish people, drugs, gang and family feuds. When something like this happens, violence from someone not white /scottish, folk tend to forget about that 🤷‍♀️ I work near a hotel which is currently housing our homeless people and the anti social behavior I see day to day from them is appalling however this doesn't get published on the front of the newspaper as it doesn't currently fit their agenda. The media really influences a lot of people's opinions unfortunately.

@fascinated

Thank you. Yes, it's a difficult balance to provide support to those in the UK who are struggling after a decade of austerity cuts & now lockdown w/ the ongoing need of asylum seekers (as part of our G8 / global role with UN conventions etc).

And yes, it's hard to have a conversation just after a traumatic event. It is possible, but some people may not be ready for it, nor may they ever be ready for it. (Personally, I was on the Tube on the morning of the 7th bombings & I knew someone who was killed. It was traumatic at the time obviously, but I still saw it as an isolated incident and not an indictment of a whole population of people).