UK: Scots divided over refugees entering Monkton

Two opposing protests were held in Monkton, Ayrshire, on Sunday, involving the Scottish Defence League (SDL) supporters on one side, and members of the Scottish left on the other. SDL supporters were protesting against the housing of refugees at a local hostel, while the supporters of the left-wingers mobilised to welcome the refugees. Tensions were high in Monkton as both opposing protests came near to one another, with the police having to step in the middle and divide the both sets of people, who were exchanging angry words and threats of violence. The police later closed off one of the main roads in to the town with locals unable to move freely around the town. The protests come after the first Syrian refugees from the ongoing crisis arrived in Scotland, after the UK agreed to take a small quota of asylum seekers. Scottish society is divided between those who believe they should be welcomed and those who believe they are undeserving of state support.