John Swinney also said: "I think Nigel Farage's comments are quite simply racist. There's no other way to describe them"

Anti-racism campaigners have rounded on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after he said Glasgow has been subject to “cultural smashing”.

Farage made the claim in a campaign video aimed at Scotland, where he said one in three schoolchildren in the city don’t speak English as a first language.

The right wing politician said: "This is not diversity, as the left always preach, this actually is the cultural smashing of Glasgow. It's turning it into a completely different city in every way.”

He promised to make immigration a major plank of Reform UK’s challenge in next year’s Holyrood elections – even though the issue is reserved to Westminster.

Robina Qureshi, chief executive of Glasgow-based human rights charity Positive Action In Housing, savaged Farage over his comments.

She was backed by Scottish First Minister John Swinney and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Qureshi said: “When a political figure, mired in accusations of antisemitism and racism going back to his schooldays, deliberately targets Glasgow schoolchildren, the response from national leadership becomes a matter of human rights, not party politics.

“Have no doubt that Nigel Farage’s racially charged attacks on children of colour and on those from refugee and immigrant families will be felt mentally and physically in school playgrounds across the city by many Glasgow schoolchildren.

“It is telling that more than 1,400 Glaswegian schoolchildren speak Gaelic as a first language, yet they are not the target of his outrage. Gaelic-speaking children are overwhelmingly white. This exposes that his attack is not about language, it is about race.”

Swinney said: "I think Nigel Farage's comments are quite simply racist. There's no other way to describe them.

"I don't know quite when we believed multilingualism was something of a problem in our society - it's not a view I take, I think it's a benefit and reflects the diversity of our country, and I think these comments demonstrate that Nigel Farage is a purveyor of racist views and people should think long and hard about that before they vote for his party."

On Farage’s Glasgow comments, Starmer said:  "He's a disgrace. He's a toxic, divisive disgrace.”

Qureshi continued: “For Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, publicly naming this for what it is, “quite simply racist” carries essential weight. His intervention signals that children cannot be dehumanised for political gain and that the state has a duty to safeguard them from racially charged hostility.

“Clear pushback from the country’s highest office strengthens the confidence of schools, local authorities and safeguarding bodies to protect affected pupils. It also reassures minority communities that their rights and dignity are not negotiable. At a time when xenophobic rhetoric is being mainstreamed, unequivocal leadership is indispensable. Scotland’s values must be defended precisely when they are being tested.

“Rarely does the racism that deeply affects our lives get expressed as racist tropes. Mostly that destruction is done structurally and often very politely. The problem we have is that racism has been made respectable so it’s difficult to discern except by those forced to suffer it. 

“Racially coded phrases and words that pretend at neutrality but clearly are designed to portray people of colour, refugees and migrants as a negative in our society have to be exposed and called out. We have to hold the line.

“Migration is what Scotland is made of going back hundreds of years. Right across civic society, John Swinney has gained immeasurable respect as being one of the few political leaders to hold that line and not capitulate to racism, as others have done.

“The vast majority of this country find these views abhorrent. Scotland is nothing but a nation of migrants going back hundreds of years. We have a strong tradition of protest. Quite simply, there is more of ‘us’ than ‘them’.”

Other civil society figures also spoke out. Martin Johnstone, co-director of the Poverty Truth Network, wrote on X: “Dear @Nigel_Farage. I live in #Glasgow - a city I am proud to call home. It is a wonderful city, full of brilliant friendly people. It is true that #PeopleMakeGlasgow. I am sorry that your are missing out on such brilliance.”

Farage said he intends to start Reform UK’s Scottish campaign during a visit to Falkirk on Saturday – a town that has been the focus of recent far-right demonstrations against asylum seekers.

Thousands are also expected to gather in the town on Saturday (6 December) for a major anti-racism and solidarity demonstration organised by the grassroots and trade union-backed Falkirk For All campaign.

It meets at 10:30am at Callendar House, with the march moving off at 11am.

Reform UK was asked for comment but has not responded.