The Protestant community of Rutherglen, Scotland, has recently been the target of two religiously motivated attacks. Graffiti was discovered in the same building in May of last year, and a police investigation began on Friday following vandalism in an orange room. Scottish Protestants against discrimination have spoken out in response to these events. Rutherglen is a city with a long history.
It was granted royal burgh status by King David I of Scotland in 1126 and has been an independent constituency of the Scottish Parliament since the late 16th century. It was a center of heavy industry, with a long tradition of coal mining that died out in 1950. The city is home to the only remaining flute band in town, Rutherglen Bluebell, and is also home to a branch of Boots Chemist that has occupied a corner in one of the oldest buildings in Rutherglen Cross for more than a century. In addition to some commercial areas and the large industrial estates of Farme Cross and Shawfield, Rutherglen is also home to residential neighborhoods.
The 1922 Rutherglen Lore book indicates that the historic Burgh area was deliberately surrounded on the south by residential suburbs, and this remains true today. In 1999, the Scottish parliamentary constituency of Glasgow Rutherglen was created with the same limits as the then parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom. Most of Rutherglen's bars are located on the north side of the main street and west, as a legacy of the Temperance Act (Scotland) of 1913, when the south side of the street and other parts were declared “dry areas” after local referendums on the subject. The local newspaper is Rutherglen Reformer (owned by Reach plc, with online content presented under the slogan Daily Record).To commemorate the 98th anniversary of the city's Orange Hall, a parade organized by the Rutherglen Orange and Purple District 20 group will begin around 4.15 p.m., from Cathcart Place. Around 100 people are expected to participate in this event. The recent attacks on Protestantism in Rutherglen are concerning for many members of this community.
It is important to remember that religious freedom is a fundamental right that must be respected and protected.
