Minority groups brace for surge in racism after Reform UK election gains

Talat Yaqoob, an equalities campaigner based in Edinburgh, said people were worried about their safety and their future after Reform won 17 seats in the Scottish parliament, taking joint second place with Labour behind the SNP.

“We know marginalised communities are worried about Reform’s wins and how these wins are interpreted on the ground by those who are already targeting them,” Yaqoob said. “They are worried for their safety, they are worried about their futures. Now that we have some Reform MSPs, they need to be held to account, they must be held to the standards we expect of those with the privilege of public office – that means calling out their disinformation and their divisive language.”

Pinar Aksu, a campaigner for Refugees for Justice, based in Glasgow, said: “We’ve now entered a new era of politics where racism is in our parliament.” She attended a unity march in Glasgow city centre on Saturday with hundreds of other anti-racism activists. “It was good to come together to shared these feelings of disappointment and anger,” she said.

For Gohir, the concerns extend to some independent campaigners in Birmingham. Akhmed Yakoob, a criminal lawyer with a large social media following, formed an electoral pact with George Galloway’s Workers party to field about 70 prospective councillors across the city. During the campaign trail, he attracted controversy after he was heard saying in Sky News footage: “Zionists control everything”. Yaqoob also described a video of Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, dancing at event in Trafalgar Square as “degeneracy”. Yakoob has denied allegations of antisemitism.

A Labour councillor in Birmingham, David Barker, said it had been the worst campaign he had fought in and that “homophobia, transphobia are more acceptable now”. “It really doesn’t represent, I think, the way most people in Birmingham feel,” he said. “But unfortunately, in a deeply divided election when you can win with 20% of the vote, you are going to get sometimes a minority view winning.”

At the election count on Friday, the Guardian asked the Reform MP Richard Tice for a response to the concerns some communities in Birmingham may feel about the rise of Reform.

Tice interrupted several times and said: “If they were fearful, why would they be voting for us?” He added: “I’m concerned for the Jewish community and about the antisemitism, the abuse they get, and I want people at the Guardian and other lefty newspapers to focus on that rather than one other particular community. Are we clear?”

For Mus, the work of her campaign group will only accelerate in the face of Reform’s gains. “We worry about the implication for residents in our city, but in our responses now we have to work harder, we have to double our efforts because our futures depend on it,” she said. “We’re not going to allow them to divide us.”

Reform UK and Akhmed Yakoob have been approached for comment.