'Misguided and toxic' anti-adult English lesson protest outside Glasgow primary school

A “misguided and toxic” protest has been staged outside a Glasgow primary school amid false claims about adult English lessons being held in the building.

A group of about 20 people gathered outside Dalmarnock Primary in the East End on Monday morning, urging the council to “protect our kids”.

However, a spokeswoman for the council described the campaign as “misguided and toxic” after it was revealed that the English lessons are for the parents and carers of children at the school.

“We will not tolerate racism or bigotry of any kind in our schools,” they said.

“We will also not tolerate strangers and vigilante groups coming into our schools claiming to keep children safe when they have a clear hidden agenda to incite fear and alarm by spreading misinformation and inciting violence which is bigotry-fuelled and inflamed.”

A protest campaign is being led by a so-called paedophile hunter named Alex Cairnie, who runs a group called Spartan Child Protection Team, and right-wing podcaster Craig Houston.

Cairnie claimed that he found a loophole which allows adults to take English lessons in the school without vetting.

Council officials insist there is no such loophole and said the classes are for parents and carers in the Dalmarnock Primary School community.

Glasgow City Council added that the people who are taking the English classes are not alone with any school children and do not require vetting.

A council spokeswoman also said that there is nothing new or unusual about adult visitors to schools.

“Our schools are family education community hubs, and every parent and carer is welcome in their child’s school,” she said.

“In fact, a Read, Write, Count session for families was held in Dalmarnock PS this week and no one raised any objections.

“A family learning offer and integration is not new, and our schools take pride in supporting parents and carers in their lifelong learning.”

She added: “This results in improving their child’s wellbeing and attainment as well as the schools and at the heart of the council’s vision and values.”

Speaking via a Facebook Live on Monday morning, Cairnie hit out at the council and media for labelling the protest a race or “far right” issue.

“This is not about who, it’s about how they have created the problem,” he said.

“We are not looking at a demographic of people – it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s to do with giving access freely to any adult with sinister intentions. That’s it in a nutshell.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were aware of planned protest activity in Baltic Street, Glasgow, on Monday, November 24, 2025.

“A proportionate police plan was in place to ensure the safety of those in attendance and mitigate disruption to the wider community.

“No criminality was identified.”