Glasgow has been urged by Anas Sarwar to reject any attempts by the far right to “sow division” in the wake of the killing of three girls in Southport.

The Scottish Labour leader spoke as there have been efforts to organise a demo in George Square next month after disturbances in the Lancashire town followed the stabbing of the girls and teachers at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The incident left three dead and others in a serious condition.

The 17-year-old male accused of murdering the three girls has been named as Axel Rudakubana after reporting restrictions preventing him from being identified were lifted by a judge.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died after the attack on Monday.

Initially, there were social media posts about a gathering on Saturday, August 10, but that has now been moved to a date in September.

(Image: Tommy Robinson)

Prominent English-based far-right figures, including Tommy Robinson, have also promoted the event in Glasgow.

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When asked about the planned event, Sarwar warned against complacency but said extremist right-wing groups have never been successful in Glasgow when they have come to the city.

He said: “There have been attempts by the far right before to do protests here or to sow divisions and every single time the far right has tried to do that in Glasgow, Glasgow has overwhelmingly rejected them.

“I have no doubt Glasgow would do that and do that again if this happens.”

He added: “We can't be complacent.

“We can't pretend that there aren't issues here, but we've always been a city that, regardless of where you come from, regardless of where you're born, when you come here, you're one of us.”

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Sarwar: “We want to make sure the police and the security services are working together to make sure that if anything does happen, we're well prepared for it and we reject them the way they've been rejected in the past.”

He said the first priority must be the families affected by the killings in Southport.

Sarwar, said: "The most important people in all of this are the families that are grieving the loss of a loved one, the parents that are worried about kids that are still in intensive care.

"The community is hurting right now, and our first priority should be about giving those people the space, the love, the support and the resources they need.”

Sarwar added: “The attempt by the far right to hijack that issue for their own political objectives, I think, is completely and utterly reprehensible and disgusting.

“And those that are either attempting to incite violence or those that are engaging in violence have to face the full force of the law and that's why there's a responsibility on the police and the security services to make sure that happens.”