SCENES of far right riots in England were shocking, but we must not be complacent in Scotland.

It was disgusting to watch thugs descend on Southport in the wake of an act of extreme violence at a children’s party.

The exploitation of the murder of three little girls by the far right spread across England, fuelled by misinformation on social media.

Prison sentences are now rightly being handed out to those who violently attacked the Police and attempted to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers, while strong counter-protests have now forced the far-right thugs into retreat.

Some politicians and media outlets must bear much of the blame for what happened, the continual rhetoric demonising refugees and asylum seekers has fuelled a culture of suspicion and hatred.

For example asylum seekers are often labelled as "illegal" – but it is not an illegal act to seek asylum it is enshrined in international law. Either an asylum seeker’s application is approved or it is turned down and they have to leave the country.

No-one voluntarily becomes a refugee, leaving family and home to travel at great risk across the world, refugees are in desperate need of shelter and sanctuary.

While it was a relief that the riots did not spread to Scotland, we must remain vigilant. There are small numbers of people who are intent on stirring up division.

Readers may remember that the far right Scottish Defence League attempted a demonstration in 2017 in Alloa, trying to blame local housing problems wrongly on immigrants.

They were faced down by anti-fascist activists and many local people.

The far-right will always look for an opportunity to turn community concerns into a weapon against the most vulnerable.

Instead of making the case to end austerity and cuts to public services through fair taxation, the far-right will always seek to blame an asylum seeker who has nothing and isn’t even allowed to work.

We have proud traditions locally of welcoming and supporting displaced people from Syria to the Ukraine, but climate change, war and oppression will lead to many more people in the years to come seeking sanctuary across Europe.

Tackling the root causes of this suffering must come through global efforts.

Financing countries to become more resilient to the effects of climate change is critical, especially the vulnerable poorer countries which have done the least to cause the crisis.

The new Labour Government at Westminster must turn away from damaging rhetoric about migrants and act against injustice wherever it happens.

The daily massacre of innocent people in Gaza right now is an obscenity, but it is avoidable if the US and the UK refuse to arm Israel, call out illegal occupation of Palestinian settlements and end the barbarism.

The far-right prey on division and hatred, if you see their posters, stickers or social media posts then contact the police.

But also call out divisive rhetoric from politicians and others, because it is from this fertile ground that the far-right will grow if we let them.