The Scottish Greens have called for the next UK Government to end the ‘hostile environment’ against refugees in Scotland.

The party’s co-leader Patrick Harvie argued that “an open and inclusive system” must replace the “anti-refugee” policies of the past 14 years which have sought to discourage people from entering the country.

We asked the people of Glasgow what they thought about the issue. 

(Image: Leah McLaughlin (Left) and John Mckenzie (Right))

Leah McLaughlin said, “Scottish nationals should be prioritised, not illegal migrants”.

The 47 year-old, from Knightswood, doesn’t think there is too much legal migration but said “I think there are too many illegal people coming in, every non-national that comes in to prosper and make Scotland what it is, go through all the protocols. I don’t see why all the illegals get all the benefits from the taxpayer and all the help.

John Mckenzie, 45, also from Knightswood, said “Not only have you got people telling us what we’re going to do and what we’re going to put up with, like people coming in, but it’s without us being asked.

“About five years ago, they said there wasn’t any money for anything in Scotland, or in the UK all these people are now getting covered, where did that money come from?”.

(Image: Rebecca Pitkin)

Rebecca Pitkin, 45, who lives in Edinburgh said “I think more accepting is the right way to go. I think that Glasgow has got quite a few good organisations that supports refugees.

“Refuweege and a variety of other schemes seem to be having quite a positive effect.”

“I think rhetoric has always fluctuated.

“I feel the trends have ebbed and flowed, it always seems like there is some sort of new crisis coming around depending on which particular group of people, folk decide to have an issue with.

“I’ve not ever noticed any kind of shift in capacity to access work - which is often people’s concern - stresses on any kind of social services or otherwise that comes from anything other than political decisions.”

(Image: Oliver Reif)

Oliver Reif, from Germany, is on holiday in Glasgow. He told us that this is a major issue across Europe.

He said: “Many people think it but don’t say it and that’s a problem”.

“On the hard right they don’t want us to have any refugees.

“They are afraid of them they think they will take our work, but if someone was to come in and take my place at work, it means I have a very bad workplace.

“They say ‘I’ve gone to school; I’ve studied, but someone has come in from Ghana and taken my work’.”

He said that people “can’t understand what is better in Great Britian for refugee’s than in Europe. We can’t understand why they go to Britain.

“However, the 56-year-old stated that he believes refugees “refresh us. It doesn’t matter which colour or which nation”.

(Image: Allan Scouller)

Allan Scouller, 68, from Rutherglen, said: “I think the country should be more open to refugees, with the state the world is in at the moment, for various reasons.

“It’s a natural movement for people, obviously we are attractive to a lot of refugees, but we need them.

“It’s down to the Government to get their act together and use the Treasury wisely and not on wasteful schemes.

“There are a lot of attempts at modernising, which have been ill thought out, ill researched and money has been wasted.

“The government wastes plenty of money, they should get their act together.

“They demonise the poor, they demonise the homeless. I would fully support any help we can give to refugees.”

Mayowa, 40, from Glasgow, said: “We should allow people to come in, because we benefit.

“The UK is a place that is very caring so when others come in and they see this, they’ll be able to also bring out things that are in them and care for people here.

“It is a source of revenue, so when they come in, they are taxed which is a boost for the UK so they should allow more people to come in.

Dr Eileen O’Neil, 55, from Glasgow, said: “I think we are accepting towards refugees. “More or less is neither here nor there, depending on the demand.

“The question is we don’t have the finances, we’ve definitely got the capacity.

“The finances are different, so we have to make sure that the government provision is there for everyone not just for one or another sector of society.”