Scottish people have always been known for their friendliness. “We’re not like the south of us,” they say, referring to England. The official slogan of Scotland’s largest city, “People make Glasgow(格拉斯哥官方城市口号)”, appears everywhere – on T-shirts, buildings, bus stops and mugs. And when I first moved to Scotland from India in 2018, I was immediately welcomed by kind strangers and helpful neighbours. People showed curiosity, rather than intrusiveness(侵扰性，干涉他人私事). They respected queues; told me I fit right in(完全融入，适应良好). Music, art and cultural events were considered inclusive(包容的，不排斥任何群体) spaces in the city, with calls for diversity, creativity, inclusion – all the good things.
苏格兰人向来以友善著称。“我们不像南方人，”他们这样说着，指的是英格兰。苏格兰最大城市的官方口号“格拉斯哥因人民而精彩”随处可见——印在T恤、建筑、公交站和马克杯上。2018年当我初次从印度移居苏格兰时，立刻受到了友善陌生人和热心邻居的欢迎。人们表现出好奇，而非冒犯。他们遵守排队秩序，还说我完全融入了这里。音乐、艺术和文化活动被视为这座城市包容的空间，人们呼吁多元、创意、包容——所有美好的事物。
As an outsider, this was a dream come true(梦想成真): to be myself, to be alone, to have brotherhood(兄弟情谊，手足之情) and a community. It was life-changing. I could do whatever I wanted, wear whatever I wanted, walk by myself at night, even. That is a luxury, especially for a woman. But something has changed, particularly after Covid, a global recession and years of austerity(经济紧缩，财政紧缩政策). Now, I watch the steady rise of far-right(极右翼的，极端右派), fringe violence and I feel a special scrutiny(仔细审视，严密监视) upon me.
作为外来者，这简直是梦想成真：可以做自己，可以独处，能拥有兄弟情谊和社群归属。这改变了我的生活。我可以做任何想做的事，穿任何想穿的衣服，甚至能在夜晚独自散步。这对女性来说尤其是一种奢侈。但有些东西变了，尤其是在新冠疫情、全球衰退和多年紧缩政策之后。如今，我目睹极右翼边缘暴力的稳步抬头，也感到一种特别的审视落在我身上。
In June, we saw disorder(骚乱，动乱) and racists assaults in Glasgow as hundreds of masked protesters marched through the streets. Asian business owners were harass(骚扰，侵扰)ed and people were attacked – according to the police – “because of the colour of their skin”. Later that month, a man was charged with(被指控犯有（罪行）) attempted murder after allegedly(据称，涉嫌地) attacking men leaving a mosque(清真寺) in Edinburgh. A video appeared to show(似乎显示，看起来显示) him shouting that he was “protecting the country”. In July, a delivery driver was assaulted after anti-immigration protesters, many of them masked, some shouting racist abuse, once again “rampage(横冲直撞，狂暴行为)d” through Glasgow. We have seen mosques deface(损毁外观，涂污)d with “hate graffiti(仇恨涂鸦，带有仇恨信息的涂鸦)” – one is attacked in Britain every five days, according to new data. We’ve heard a speaker at a protest outside an asylum(政治庇护，避难) hotel in Falkirk calling for a crowd to “keep Britain white(保持英国白人（种族主义口号）)”. There have been activists outside the Scottish parliament staging fascist-style(法西斯式的，类似法西斯的) demonstrations. It goes to show(证明，说明) top-down propaganda(宣传，政治宣传) funnel(使流入，汇集)s to real-life incidents.
六月，我们看到格拉斯哥发生骚乱和种族主义袭击，数百名蒙面抗议者穿过街道。亚裔店主受到骚扰，有人遭到袭击——据警方称——“因为他们的肤色”。当月晚些时候，一名男子因涉嫌袭击爱丁堡一座清真寺外的人而被控谋杀未遂。一段视频似乎显示他高喊“保护国家”。七月，一名外卖司机遭到袭击，此前反移民抗议者——其中许多人蒙面，一些人高喊种族主义辱骂——再次“横冲直撞”穿过格拉斯哥。我们看到清真寺被涂上“仇恨涂鸦”——根据新数据，英国每五天就有一座清真寺遭到袭击。我们听到福尔柯克一座收容寻求庇护者的酒店外的抗议者演讲者呼吁人群“保持英国白人”。还有激进分子在苏格兰议会外举行法西斯式示威。这表明自上而下的宣传会渗透到现实事件中。