Cauldeen Primary School in Inverness has cancelled its planned Christmas show following a wave of racist and abusive messages directed at the school and its staff, Highland Council
has confirmed.
The show was to feature a musical performance that included a scene portraying the experiences of refugee children affected by the Syrian conflict, according to reporting by the Press and Journal. However, the school faced escalating negative comments on social media, prompting concerns for staff and pupil wellbeing.
“Following negative feedback on social media, including racist and abusive messages—some of which were directed at the school and staff—the school has made the wellbeing of staff and pupils its main priority,” a Highland Council spokesperson said. In place of the show, pupils will take part in other festive classroom activities. The council noted that decisions of this nature fall under devolved school management.
Police Scotland confirmed it is investigating after receiving a report of threatening and abusive online communications on 21 November. “Inquiries are ongoing,” a spokesperson said.
The incident comes amid heightened local tensions over UK government proposals to use Inverness’s Cameron Barracks as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. The plan would house around 300 men at the site over a 12-month period. Both Highland Council and the Scottish government have criticised the UK government for what they describe as insufficient consultation.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander has said the Home Office engaged with the Scottish government and several local organisations before the plans became public. Pro- and anti-accommodation demonstrations have since taken place in Inverness.
Highland Council has been involved in supporting asylum-seeking and resettled families for several years. Through the Home Office’s National Transfer Scheme, the council has assisted children arriving in the region since January 2022 and established the Comraich service later that year to house young people aged 16 and over.
As of June, Home Office data shows 143 Afghan nationals resettled in the Highland area, alongside 438 Ukrainians who have arrived since Russia’s invasion. The region first began taking in Syrian families in 2016 under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Photo by Lewis Clarke, Wikimedia commons.