First Minister John Swinney will host a gathering on Wednesday which is aimed at “protecting and strengthening Scotland’s democracy”.
It is being billed as an anti far-right summit and Mr Swinney told the BBC on Sunday that he had not invited Nigel Farage of Reform UK.
Political, faith and civic leaders will come together to assess the robustness of Scotland’s democratic system by examining root causes that might undermine shared values – now and in the future.
Speaking ahead of the event in Glasgow, the First Minister said: “Government has a clear role to play in protecting the health of our democracy and it is vital that politicians and other civic leaders listen and take decisions that reflect the lived experiences of the people of Scotland.
“In this age of uncertainty, we see democratic systems across the world under pressure. As First Minister, I want Scotland to have strong and supportive communities, where people live in peace, and everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
“Today’s civic gathering aims to unite political and civic leaders, presenting a vital opportunity to agree a common approach to asserting the values of who we are as Scots, in order to bring people together and create a cohesive society where everyone feels safe and at home.”
The organisations and representatives who have confirmed attendance include:
- John Swinney MSP – First Minister of Scotland
- Kaukab Stewart MSP – Minister for Equalities, Scottish Government
- Anas Sarwar MSP – Leader, Scottish Labour
- Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP – Leader, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Patrick Harvie MSP – Co-Convenor, Scottish Green Party
- Lorna Slater MSP – Co-Convenor, Scottish Green Party Leader
- Ash Regan MSP – Alba parliamentary leader
- Councillor Shona Morrison & Councillor Steven Heddle – COSLA
- Dr Michael Higgins – Senior Lecturer, University of Strathclyde
- University of Glasgow
- Women in Journalism
- Police Scotland
- Corra Foundation
- Electoral Reform Society
- Scottish Youth Parliament
- STUC
- SCVO
- Youth Scotland
- Westminster Foundation in Democracy
- Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner
- Carnegie
- Electoral Commission
- Transparency International
- Prosper
- WEALL Scotland
- National Advisory Council on Women & Girls
- Church of Scotland
- Catholic Church
- Scottish Episcopal Church
- Scottish Shia Muslim Community
- Scottish Sunni Muslim Community
- Scottish Jewish Community
- Interfaith Scotland
- Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Marie Curie
- Scottish Refugee Council
- Zero Tolerance Scotland
- Disability Equality Scotland
- Equality Network
- Age Scotland
- Show Racism The Red Card
- Nil By Mouth
- Men’s Sheds Scotland
- MCR Pathways
- Columba 1400
- The King’s Foundation
- One Parent Families Scotland
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