Far-right music festival cancelled in Scotland

A far-right music festival which was scheduled to have taken place in Bathgate, Scotland has been cancelled.

The festival, which was called a “Nazi event” by anti-racist activists, was set to go ahead this weekend. 

The organisers of the event were reported to be the far-right group Blood & Honour, who are believed to be active in working with musicians whose lyrics promote white supremacy.

One band that was scheduled to appear was the group Mistreat, a band from Finland whose songs are said to contain violent lyrics and have been photographed performing in front of swastika flags.

The festival’s cancellation arises following condemnation from politicians, including representatives from the SNP and the Liberal Democrats. 

Martyn Day, the SNP MP for Linlithgow & East Falkirk, said that “There is no place for such abhorrent hatred in Scotland,” while Sally Pattle, a Liberal Democrat councillor on West Lothian council, added that she found the event “deeply concerning” and said that the festival’s organisers had “a history of spewing far-right bile and hatred and no one wants their brand of ideological nonsense in our area, or anywhere else for that matter.”

Advocacy group Hope Not Hate said of the incident: “It looks like the organisers have been well and truly spooked and are moving to a back-up venue.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.