Happy Monday readers.
We’re a man down this morning with Robbie recovering from Kelburn Garden Party on the weekend. Beth and Calum, meanwhile, both worked on Saturday for an upcoming story — that’s all we’ll say for now but you can probably guess which major event we attended.
Beth is officially on a flat hunt so spent all of Sunday trying to decide which part of town she’d migrate to after leaving the family nest. Calum, meanwhile, had a comparatively relaxing day watching films, with a double horror billing. First up was Irish offering, Oddity, followed by Noughties classic (which opens with an innocent scene of friends rafting in a black and bubbling Scottish river) The Descent. He favoured the latter.
Now for a top story about unrest in Royston, and your Monday briefing.
There's just one day left to apply to help lead one of the UK's most exciting media companies! Our senior editor role is closing tomorrow. Last chance saloon to work with us.
Top story: Royston boils over as rape rumours fuelled by social media lead to clashes
Topline: Truth and fiction entwined over the weekend, as two arrests for sexual offences mingled with rumours spread by a Facebook page about women being held hostage and a “naked man” trying to enter a primary school in north Glasgow.
The result? Protestors chanting “get him out” in Royston on Friday night, in the latest example of rising tensions fuelled by online accounts associated with far-right figures.
The context: On 26 June, a 16-year-old girl was raped in Springburn Park. News of the attack shocked the area. In response, a vigilante group calling itself the ‘Scottish Citizens Army’ patrolled the park and were confronted and searched by police on 29 June, as seen in footage circulating on social media. Shortly after, Police Scotland released a vague description of the suspect: “tanned complexion… possibly European”. A man has since been arrested and charged with rape, and is due to appear in Glasgow Sheriff Court today.
What then? Three days later, on 2 July, Alex O’Kane, the admin behind Facebook page ‘no1seems2care’, posted news of “another sexual assault in Royston yesterday!” to his 166,000 followers after a 40-year-old man named Mohamed Raouf Mezahdi was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.
‘No1seems2care’ was started to “help local people” across north Glasgow. Most posts concern dropped phones and lost cats. But peppered among these are regular reports from people who write in alleging assaults and predatory behaviour — and often accusing ‘migrants’ of perpetrating them.
O’Kane reacts to these with comments like: “we make no apologies for saying this as communities need to take direct action to protect their women and children from sexually [sic] predators”.
Within hours of the Mezahdi arrest, O’Kane was spreading news about another supposed Royston incident: an “alleged naked man” who tried to gain access to Royston’s St Roch’s RC primary school. The Bell has not yet found evidence of this claim. We’ve reached out to Police Scotland and are awaiting an update at the time of publication.
This story is free to read. You just need to sign up to join The Bell's mailing list. And why wouldn't you? You'll get our journalism in your inbox the second we publish, keeping up-to-date on this and all our stories. No card details required.
Already have an account? Sign In
