A CAMPAIGN to stamp out prejudice and bigotry in Glasgow has been launched in the wake of spiralling crime figures.
The number of race-related incidents in the city has risen by 13% in the last year, but worried council officials claim greater cultural understanding will combat the problem.
Glasgow City Council said there would be a six-week, (pounds) 218,000 campaign to tackle racism and sectarianism, and more schemes would follow under its zero tolerance of prejudice or discrimination in any form, including sexism and homophobia.
A survey had found two out of three Glaswegians believe bigotry blights the city. Almost 80% interviewed said there was prejudice against ethnic minorities. Separate research has also revealed that almost half the city's residents were concerned over refugees or asylum seekers moving next door.
The campaign - Glasgow, We're Every Kind of People - aims to highlight contributions made by citizens, no matter their race, creed, or colour. It will target all bigots, and not just sectarianism, less than a fortnight after 22 arrests for religious-related offences at the season's first Old Firm match.
Last month, Strathclyde Police revealed the steep annual increase in the number of racist crimes.
Jim Coleman, deputy leader of the city council, said he was ashamed by the surveys which highlighted bigotry. ''We must ensure discrimination and prejudice are tackled head-on.''
The campaign features Glaswegians from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Their faces will feature on poster sites, buses, and subway stations, and their voices on radio commercials.
Francine Cameron, 12, had to move from her primary school in Maryhill because of racial violence and tension. Francine, originally from the Phillipines, was attacked physically and verbally. She said: ''It really hurts that people take one look at your appearance and think that is what you are. That's why I am involved with this campaign, to bring prejudice to an end.''
Others in the campaign include Charan Gill, the restaurateur; ''Tiger'' Tim Stevens, the Radio Clyde disc jockey; Taylor Ferguson, the hair stylist; and a minister and priest, John Matthews, Ruchill minister, and Father Gerry Nugent, of St Patrick's Church, Anderston.
All call for an end to any form of prejudice and for Glasgow to be united rather than divided.
Mr Matthews said: ''Most people are friendly, welcoming, and it's a small minority that spoil things.''
Mr Nugent said of the recent Old Firm arrests: ''I believed most would be ashamed the next day, as would their
families.''
Another in the campaign is Lindsay Belton, 19, who will run the 100m and 200m in the summer special Olympics in Glasgow next year: ''I think it
will make people think twice about their prejudices.''
Liz Cameron, the lord provost, said: ''We want to make everyone who lives and works in the city much more aware of the contributions that are made by all of its people regardless of age, sexuality, gender, job of work, or their religious or ethnic background.''
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