The Scottish Government says the move was needed to tackle the "burden" caused by the growth in AI-assisted objections to energy projects. Critics say it is a way to mute public opposition.
An investment vehicle managed by JP Morgan and state-backed firms from France, Norway and China own Scottish wind farms which have paid tens of millions in dividends this decade.
An anti-immigration protest in Glasgow that turned violent last weekend attracted several hundred people. Those attending included loyalists from Northern Ireland with criminal convictions.
A far right party in the UK hosted controversial European political parties including one designated as “extremist” and whose regional leader was fined for using a Nazi slogan.
Homeland, which is led by a Scot and has been approved as a UK political party, hosted figureheads from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and Poland’s Konfederacja far right alliance at its Derbyshire conference on 28 September.
Manuel Schreiber from the AfD’s youth wing and Konfederacja’s international relations officer, Robert Grajny, spoke as representatives of their parties.
In September, the AfD won almost a third of the vote in two states and nearly a quarter of the vote in a third. The party is designated as a “proven right-wing extremist” group and monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency in some states.
In May, its leader in the state of Thuringia was found guilty of knowingly using a banned Nazi slogan, “everything for Germany”, in a speech, while AfD’s lead candidate in the recent European elections said members of the SS – the Nazi party’s paramilitary wing – were not automatically “criminals”.
Homeland, which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”, is led by self-described “racial nationalist”, Kenny Smith, from Lewis. His party wants a referendum on immigration.
Last year, AfD politicians, alleged neo-Nazis and others attended a secret meeting, later uncovered by investigative outfit Correctiv, in which plans to deport millions of residents were discussed.
We say there is nothing inevitable about Britain going down the same road as France and other countries.
Héctor Sierra, Stand up to Racism Scotland
The deportation of “asylum seekers”, “non-assimilated people”, and those with “non-German backgrounds”, including those with German citizenship and residency rights, were explored.
Poland’s Konfederacja – or the Confederation – has seen more modest electoral success compared to the AfD, winning seven per cent of the vote in the 2023 parliamentary election.
Its co-leader reportedly said his supporters stood against “Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxation and the European Union”, and runs a brewery with a beer called “White IPA matters”.
Leading party figures have denied the holocaust, said disabled people should not appear on television, and that women under the age of 55 should not be allowed to vote, according to reports.
On 29 September, Homeland posted on social media congratulating the recent electoral victory of Austria’s FPÖ party, which was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.
Héctor Sierra, an organiser for Stand up to Racism Scotland, said: “Fascists in Britain follow with interest the breakthroughs their co-thinkers have had, from Italy to Austria.
“They hope they can replicate these successes here by building on the racist climate encouraged by… mainstream politicians.”
He added: “We say there is nothing inevitable about Britain going down the same road as France and other countries”.
John Lawson, Homeland’s enquiries secretary, said: “We believe politics is all about working with others, whether with opposite numbers here or friends abroad.” “What is sensible nationalism and how do we sell it?” was a key theme at the conference, he said.
The AfD are not extremists, he argued, but “victims of the state oppressing legitimate opposition”. The Nazi-era phrase used by Höcke was “entirely reasonable” and “just because it was used over 70 years ago, 9the AfD) are attacked by the state,” he claimed.
Lawson said attendees of the secret deportation meeting involving AfD members had been inaccurately described as neo-Nazis.
“Remigration will be the biggest talking point for the next decade; it is perfectly reasonable for political figures abroad to meet and discuss how it can be done legally, responsibly, and ethically,” he argued.
He claimed Homeland’s use of “law of blood” referred to a belief that “rights are inherited”, and dismissed SUTR as “a far left group” which “oppose legitimate political parties meeting to discuss policy”.
Lawson added: “There is nothing ‘racist’ about wanting to maintain a homeland for your people to thrive in, or discussing how to address mass immigration, which the majority oppose. We hope the UK catches up with the rest of Europe on this subject.”
The AfD and Konfederacja did not respond to requests to comment.
Homeland’s full response can be read here.
Main image credit: Homeland Party
An anti-immigration protest in Glasgow that turned violent last weekend attracted several hundred people. Those attending included loyalists from Northern Ireland with criminal convictions.
Far right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.
A disproportionate number of children and young people growing up in care are dying prematurely, prompting calls for preventative action.
Tensions are high in Glasgow following a series of protests over alleged sex crimes by migrants. Police and anti-racism groups fear extremists could inflame the situation.
