Welcome to Glasgow, Apparently

(See anonymous op-ed The National)

The title of this particular BBC Disclosure investigative documentary, Welcome to Glasgow, will no doubt cause potential visitors to the city to browse the internet thinking it is actually extending a welcome to them. This is, after all, the same title used by the Commonwealth Games to inform visitors about the Games and what Glasgow has to offer.

The documentary begins with balaclava clad youths in various threatening poses. There is text across the screen which states:

“Disclosure investigates claims that parts of Scotland’s biggest city have become a ‘no go zone’ because of crime, homelessness and antisocial behaviour.”

No reference to racism at this point.

Having watched the documentary a couple of times, I find there are several issues being highlighted, primarily racism and drug misuse, with racism and public order becoming dominant features.

A few minutes later the reporter, Myles Bonnar, asks:

“Has disorder in the city become worse, or is tension simply being stoked online by those who trace every problem back to immigration?”

An interesting question.

Yes, like many other cities, towns, villages and communities, Glasgow is affected by ongoing drug problems. However, there do not appear to be influential individuals advocating to millions of followers on social media that they should demonstrate against people who misuse drugs.

Later in the documentary the reporter makes reference to “Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson having posted on social media calling for widespread protests across the UK, fuelled by anger against immigration”.

One minute into the film, there is a clip of Robinson at a rally of his followers somewhere in England asking:

“Are you ready for the Battle of Britain?”

Presumably its inclusion was considered relevant.

Three minutes and twenty three seconds into the programme it is stated that a man in Belfast had been stabbed by an immigrant the previous day. As the narration continues, the film shows a large group of individuals dressed in black and wearing balaclavas emerging from around the corner of a building in Glasgow.

The group then moves through the city centre and people are targeted because of the colour of their skin.

Which rather brings us back to the earlier question about whether tensions are being stoked online.

What, too, of the self appointed street patrols, Darren and Darcy? Who controls them? Who authorised them? Why are they patrolling Glasgow streets?

At 18 minutes and 44 seconds we see part of a video apparently showing black youths violently assaulting white youths. The video had apparently been circulated by Robinson to his millions of followers. The fact that some of the attackers were white appears to receive rather less attention.

The documentary then moves on to the two demonstrations outside the Concert Hall, which we have all seen and heard much about since.

I have to return to the large group of black clad youths referred to earlier.

If the incident in Belfast occurred the previous day, members of this group must have received rather short notice to assemble together in Glasgow.

There must therefore be individuals within our communities who can be contacted and briefed at a moment’s notice to assemble at predetermined locations.

That seems, to me at least, rather worthy of investigation.

Are these local networks? Are people travelling from elsewhere? Who contacts them? How are they mobilised?

For an investigative documentary, these seem fairly obvious questions.

Instead, we are told that cultural difference and intolerance may be contributing factors to violent behaviour.

That may be so. There is, however, another element that might also have merited attention.

Elon Musk has faced repeated criticism over his amplification of anti immigration and racist commentary on X. Whatever his motivation, he possesses wealth, influence and a social media audience vastly beyond anything available to the people living with the consequences in Glasgow.

He is unlikely to find himself in temporary accommodation in Glasgow, struggling with the housing crisis, waiting for addiction services or worrying about the erosion of local public services.

Nevertheless, his views on who or what is responsible for Britain’s problems are communicated to an audience of hundreds of millions.

Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Christopher Yaxley Lennon, is one of Britain’s most prominent far right activists and a founder of the English Defence League.

His material is frequently amplified by Musk.

Robinson posts material and calls for protests.

Musk shares it with an audience of hundreds of millions.

People then assemble on the streets.

One might have thought that sequence worthy of rather close examination. But the BBC decided not to "disclose" the crux of the matter.

After all, the documentary itself asks near the beginning whether tension is being “stoked online by those who trace every problem back to immigration”.

Having asked the question, Disclosure then spends a considerable amount of time allowing precisely those people to help explain Glasgow to us.

Perhaps the programme answered its own question.

T.H.

Here's another review by a local historian, and another by a former CNN journalist. and another anonymous review.