POLICE Scotland dealt with 64 hate crimes in the week after the Paris attacks.

The force says it is not sure how many of the the racially and religiously motivated crimes have a direct link to the atrocities that killed 130 people when Islamic State targeted restaurants, the Bataclan theatre and The Stade De France stadium last Friday night.

But so far there have been arrests in 40 of these cases and Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, speaking in Glasgow yesterday, said he expects more to follow.
He urged he public to be “vigilant” and said: “These are 64 crimes too many and are not in keeping with our traditions of a multicultural Scotland.”

We told you how a Bishopbriggs Cultural Centre was torched on Monday in a suspected hate crime. On Sunday night a takeaway owner in Methil, Fife, was attacked and hospitalised.

There are also said to have been reports of racial abuse in Pollokshaws, Newton Mearns, Thornliebank, Central Station and towards Muslim students at Strathclyde University.
Glasgow MSP Humza Yousaf was also the target of online abuse.

DCC Livingstone said the force was dealing with the terror threat as well as a rise in hate crime.

He added: “People of all the faiths, and of none, should live in a Scotland that is free from hate crime and discrimination. Collectively, it is individuals and communities that defeat terrorism, which is why we must sustain the strong relationships that exist in Scotland between our communities and their police service.”

DCC Livingstone, met with religious leaders, community leaders and politicians during a press conference at Glasgow Central Mosque yesterday.

Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar said during the conference that hate crimes directed at Muslims are a “desecration of the memory of those who died in Paris”.

He said: “We walk the same streets, our children play in the same schools, our families work in the same communities, we use the same transport and as Muslims we are not immune from the bombs and bullets of terrorists.

“Vengeance directed at Muslims serves ISIS because they want Muslims to feel hated, targeted and discriminated against.”

Jamil Moghul, joint general secretary of Glasgow Central Mosque said a “climate of insecurity and unease” caused by the recent hate crimes has led to school trips to mosques being cancelled.

He said: “In the face of such hostility we must stand united against Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry to ensure that Muslims are not victimised for the crimes of others.”

Anyone who has been a victim of, or witnesses to, a hate crime is urged to report the incident by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Suspicious behaviour or activity can be reported to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.