A far-right group has come under criticism for using the image of Kriss Donald, a Glasgow schoolboy murdered in a racially motivated attack in 2004, in a video that activists say exploits children to promote extremist views. The video, shared by a far-right blogger associated with the group Restore Britain, features lines of children and young people dressed in black standing silently before a photograph of Donald. It includes a wreath inscribed with "we apologise" and the message, "Guard the wee ones well for they carry tomorrow in their hearts."
The five-minute clip, titled “Glasgow Silent Protest They Don’t Want You To Know About,” circulated widely on social media. It was posted by Craig Houston, a known figure in a recent Glasgow demonstration marked by racial disorder involving masked men. Houston denied organizing the events, but his video garnered tens of thousands of views across platforms, including shares by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who has millions of followers.
Mohammed Asif, representing the anti-racism campaign group Stand Up To Racism, condemned the video and the use of Kriss Donald’s image. Asif noted that Donald’s mother had previously publicly rejected attempts by far-right groups, such as the British National Party, to exploit the family’s tragedy for political ends. He described the presence of children in the video as troubling, suggesting many may be unaware of the hateful ideology being promoted, and called for parental vigilance and police scrutiny to prevent the exploitation of young people.
Kriss Donald’s murder remains one of the most notorious racially motivated killings in Scotland. In March 2004, the 15-year-old was abducted from Kenmure Street in Glasgow by a group led by Imran Shahid, known as “Baldy,” following a nightclub incident in which Shahid had been assaulted. Donald, not involved in the nightclub altercation and unconnected to Shahid’s assailants, was targeted specifically because he was white.
The group drove Donald on a 200-mile journey before stabbing him 13 times and setting him on fire at the Clyde Walkway. The attackers fled to Pakistan but were extradited back to the United Kingdom through the efforts of MP Mohammed Sarwar. Shahid, his brother Zeeshan Shahid, and Faisal Mushtaq were sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2026 for the murder.
The ongoing use of Donald’s image in far-right propaganda has reignited debate about the exploitation of personal tragedies for extremist agendas, raising concerns among anti-racism advocates and prompting calls for authorities to intervene to protect young people from manipulation.