More than 100 Syrian refugees have arrived in Glasgow as part of the UK government’s promise to take in 1,000 people by Christmas.
A 737 plane touched down just after 3.30pm on Tuesday during a typical west ofScotland downpour, bringing mainly families from camps bordering Syria.
At least five local authorities – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire – are expected to host the refugees.
Inverclyde has said it will welcome up to 10 families, and the Isle of Bute expects 15 families to arrive in the seaside town of Rothesay in the coming week, where locals plan to use a local church hall as a makeshift mosque.
The host councils already know the names, ages and medical profiles of the individuals. This allows them to process biometric identity permits as a priority, so that the Syrians can open bank accounts, apply for jobs and receive benefits.
The refugees have been granted leave to remain for five years, after which they can apply to settle permanently in the UK.
The arrival at Glasgow airport was a low-key affair. Passengers disembarked the Enter Air charter flight shielded from the media and were welcomed in a private area before boarding coaches to travel to their designated council areas.
On Monday, Stirling council – which is expecting its first refugee family in December – said the terrorist attacks in Paris would have “no effect whatsoever” on its plans, insisting: “We have a responsibility to provide safety and refuge for refugees and we will continue to honour this commitment.”
The Scottish government has assured the public that the new arrivals – many of whom have been known to agencies while resident in camps for many months – have been through “robust and thorough” screening processes before coming to the UK.
Nabeel Shaikh, the general secretary of Glasgow Central Mosque, said some Scots were conflating the attacks in Paris with the arrival of the Syrian refugees, after a mosque to the north of Glasgow was the subject of a suspected arson attack.
Police and fire services were called to a report of a fire at the Bishopbriggs cultural centre in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Nobody was injured but the building sustained some damage.
Shaikh told the Guardian: “Since the attacks on Paris, the Muslim community has been feeling the brunt of it. This arson attack is just an example of some of the Islamophobic incidents that have happened over the weekend.Police Scotland confirmed that the fire was being treated as suspicious and that hate crime was one line of inquiry. There have been five arrests for hate crimes linked to the Paris attacks since Friday.
“There is certainly a noticable increase in attacks and the community is very anxious. We hear it discussed during prayer time. Women are warned not to go out by themselves as we have found that the attacks are predominantly aimed at women and elderly or vulnerable individuals.
“We have to keep putting the message out that [the Paris attacks] have nothing to do with us. And we can’t blame Syrian refugees, who are fleeing atrocities perpetrated by the same barbaric individuals.”
As the Guardian first reported on Friday, Scotland will welcome 40% of the refugees David Cameron pledged to take before the end of the year, in a reflection of its readiness in comparison with other parts of the UK, although the Scottish government’s proportionate commitment was to accept 10% of the total.
In Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon, politicians from across the chamber paid their respects to those who died and were injured in the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night. A senior representative from the French consulate in Edinburgh and members of Scotland’s French community attended the session.
Plans for a welcome gathering at the airport were postponed after refugee rights activists advised their supporters to join a larger rally taking place on Saturday 28 November, before St Andrew’s Day. The Scottish Refugee Council’s crisis appeal called for further donations and fundraising drives to support the newly arrived children, women and men.
Robina Qureshi, director of Glasgow-based Positive Action in Housing, which has pioneered refugee hosting across the UK, said she had witnessed no change in public mood towards refugees over the weekend.
“I have never witnessed anything like the outpouring of support, and it is not just a city thing, it is happening on the islands and in rural areas too. Attitudes [towards refugees] in England, particularly the south-east, and in Scotland are night and day; and attitudes in Scotland now are night and day from a few decades ago.”
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