Kenmure Street protests

In addition, the timing of the raid came under scrutiny as it was conducted on the dawn of Eid in a diverse neighborhood with a high concentration of Muslim residents and during the transition of government following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

[2] The two men detained, Sumit Sehdev and Lakhvir Singh, were Sikhs and Indian nationals in their thirties who had, at the time of the protest, lived in Scotland for ten years but had not been granted leave to remain.

[7] Humza Yousaf, the Justice Secretary, criticised the Home Office for its "reckless action" and timing, and initiated cross-party communications to create an alliance against the UK's migration policies, which he deemed "draconian".

[18] Nationalist columnist Neil Mackay, writing for The Herald, wrote an opinion piece claiming events had done more to advance anti-Union sentiment than pro-Independence politicians due to the involvement of common people and their rejection of UK immigration laws.

[19] On the other hand, in a column for The Scotsman, Conservative politician John McLellan criticised the SNP's response, claiming it had raised racial tensions, was hypocritical in light of previous statements against mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraged the violation of the rule of law.

celebrations which have drawn crowds of thousands and resulted in disturbances, Yousaf stated that, while all gatherings must be discouraged, it was not fair to compare the "thuggish, loutish behaviour" of the latter with the former.