Bonfire night has long been a popular celebration across the UK, with fireworks displays and bonfires creating memorable evenings for all ages. However, the celebrations in Scotland have once again been marred by anti-social behaviour taking place across the country. Across the nation, there were five instances of attacks on firefighters as they responded to calls through the night. In addition, Police Scotland responded to over 450 calls regarding fireworks offences.
Most of the offences took place in Edinburgh, where approximately 100 young people began throwing fireworks at pedestrians and vehicles, injuring police responders. In three other areas of the city, police responded to reports of anti-social behaviour, with multiple officers having to go to the hospital as bricks were thrown at police cars, shattering windows. Police in Edinburgh also reported having petrol bombs thrown at them by youths. Overall, multiple charges were issued, alongside many more dispersal orders.
Reports of anti-social behaviour were not confined to Edinburgh. In Glasgow, a mini-bus was stolen from a care home by a gang before being torched, with a video of the burning vehicle being posted to social media. The directors of Balmanno House care home confirmed the theft, saying:
“It will lead in the short term to substantial curtailing of eagerly looked-forward-to activities among the residents of our care home”.
The violence reported on Bonfire Night continues a streak of anti-social incidents reported in Scotland. On Halloween night, it was widely reported that riots had broken out in Dundee, with similar scenes of bricks being thrown at vehicles and windows being broken. Police in riot gear were forced to avoid fireworks being thrown at them, while a police helicopter was deployed to spotlight the streets during the riots. Multiple people have been charged as a result of the riots.
Regarding the events which took place on Bonfire night, West Scotland MSP Pam Gosal tweeted:
“The scenes on Bonfire Night are simply unacceptable. Thanks to @ScotTories, attacking emergency service workers with fireworks carries a tougher penalty. But the SNP’s budget cuts to Police Scotland will undoubtedly escalate this sort of disorder”.
Meanwhile, Shadow Justice Secretary Jamie Green said:
“Another year another shameful display of attacks on emergency services on Bonfire Night. I proposed harsher penalties for those who attack blue light workers with fireworks (which the Scottish Government agreed to), so now let’s see those penalties in full force”.
This slew of anti-social behaviour adds to the worrying rise of crime in recent years. The Police Scotland figures released earlier this year showed that race-based hate crime had risen across the country from 2019, negatively impacting BAME Scots. If the increasing financial pressure on Police Scotland leads to a rise in these bouts of anti-social behaviour, it is likely that the BAME community will be put at a disproportionate risk of being victims of racial hate crimes, caused by a small minority of the population who feel emboldened by these recent examples of violence.