Glasgow is many things to many people, but to me it’s the heady destination of my first concert (Steps), the scene of my first snog (at an underage club night no longer with us, RIP) and the place I chose to return to as an adult to put down roots.
It’s tarnished with a lazy brush of being dangerous, an antiquated slur rooted in snobbery, in my very humble opinion. Of course there are crimes committed, as there are in any city, but 99.9 per cent of Glaswegians are open-hearted, quick to laugh and have an innate understanding and appreciation for the meaning of community.
In 2021, when two men were detained by immigration enforcement officers during a dawn raid, hundreds of Glaswegians surrounded the van and demanded their release. The street was filled with supporters chanting, “these are our neighbours, let them go” and “immigrants are welcome here”. Social media at the time was flooded with images; the cause amplified by thousands more voices proud to be part of such clear-cut kindness by association. At the time, The Guardian quoted Roza Salih saying, “I’m just overwhelmed by Glasgow’s solidarity for refugees and asylum seekers. This is a victory for the community.”
And then there’s the fabled tale of John Smeaton. The baggage handler who tackled a would-be terrorist at Glasgow airport in 2017, thwarting the first attempted attack like that the city has ever seen. On his actions, he told the press, “This is Glasgow, we’ll just set aboot ye,” and became part of meme culture immediately.
There might be in-fighting (see the age-old Rangers vs Celtic frictions), but Glaswegians give off sibling energy. They can talk to each other however they want – c*nt is used as both an insult and a term of endearment, eg, “he’s a sound c*nt”, but at its core the collective population is loyal to a fault. We might argue about football, politics, the weather and where the best Tennent’s is poured, but if you need help, someone will turn up. Probably with a strong opinion about what you should have done differently, but they’ll turn up.
