'Gas them all': Meet the man behind north Glasgow's saltires

On Monday, we revealed that one of the men behind the saltires that are flying on north Glasgow lampposts, and a member of the so-called Tartan Team which has claimed responsibility for the flags, shared neo-Nazi content on a now-deleted X/Twitter account. The same account, while reposting a video which purported to show asylum seekers fighting in Spain, commented “gas them all” — a phrase used on another, this time deleted, video.

Now, The Bell can reveal that a north Glasgow man called Kieran Logan is behind the X account and the Tartan Team’s fundraiser. He’s also behind a Facebook profile which left the following comment on a post about the flags: “Time for a stand people if you want involved in the movement give me a message and I’ll get you flags sorted or if you need help getting your flag up.” 

The comment finished by saying “time to look after our own not everyone else”. Other users then made requests of Logan to fly flags in their area. 

We contacted Kieran Logan via the same Facebook account. He responded saying “you have the wrong Kieran”. However, The Bell was able to link two other X accounts that Logan tagged regularly to two profiles in his Facebook friend list. The profile images from the X accounts matched his friends’ Facebook profiles. It was this Kieran Logan who made the above comment.

Over the week, we debated whether or not to name Kieran Logan. On Monday, we didn’t, as we were still working to fully confirm his identity. Now, given how prominent the flags are across north Glasgow, and that many interpret them as a symbol of independence, we believe our readers will want to know who’s been getting behind this emerging movement, which appears to be growing.

Tartan contradictions

When we messaged the Tartan Team on Monday, they said that “immigration is not a problem” for them. Instead, on their Facebook page, the Tartan Team say the flags are a “stand against politicians and councillors” who have gone “quiet” on issues the city is facing. These include NHS struggles, drug deaths, cost of living, mental health, and a housing crisis. 

To them, Glasgow being one of the UK’s main dispersal cities for asylum seekers and, in their words, Westminster having “failed to give funding to facilitate this”, is what is causing division. They also acknowledge that Scotland “wouldn’t be the country we are” without immigration. 

Yesterday, off the back of growing support, the group announced that they plan to help the elderly, disabled people, and the homeless with essentials as the colder months approach, and that any new donations to them will go towards those causes. 

Yet that comes alongside the anti-immigration rhetoric from some of their followers whom they’ve engaged with. While there is no indication that any other member of the Tartan Team shares Logan’s views on gassing asylum seekers or spreading Nazi propaganda, it’s notable that the group’s TikTok account has liked several inflammatory comments on their videos. This includes a comment that says Milton is “full” of immigrants and that young migrant men are “praying [sic]” on women, and another that refers to migrants as “beasts”. 

'Masquerading as patriotism'

Much of the discussion locally about the flags going up is about what the saltire represents and who gets to decide what it means. On Monday, we heard from Maryhill resident Laurie Goldie, who set up an online petition to “change the narrative” of the flags and oppose “racism, xenophobia, and hate in all forms”.

In a widely-shared video, Father Jim Lawlor of the Immaculate Conception Catholic church in Maryhill, said that the flags are “masquerading as patriotism and nationalism, but it’s on the back of something far more sinister”.