Anwar condemns '˜vitriolic' abuse following Barcelona attack

Aamer Anwar was caught up in the Barcelona terrorist attack. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

A Scottish human rights lawyer who was an eyewitness to last week's terror attack in Barcelona has condemned far right campaigners and their supporters after he was subjected to 'horrific abuse' online.

Aamer Anwar, one of Scotland’s most high profile Muslims, has been targeted with a series of abusive and racist messages since giving his account of the atrocity to media outlets around the world.

The 49-year-old said he felt compelled “to call it out” and stressed that he and his fellow Muslims were just as vulnerable as anyone else to potential attacks by extremists.

Mr Anwar, the current rector of the University of Glasgow, was visiting Barcelona for a conference at the time of the attack in the city’s Las Ramblas area, which left 13 people dead.

After recounting what he saw and heard, he said he began to receive “all sorts of vitriolic abuse about me being a Muslim, being part of the plot, the planner.”

He said: “I have been the victim of hatred by the far right. Tommy Robinson, the ex leader of the English Defence League called me out, claimed I was an ISIS lawyer which is complete and utter lies, and following that there has been several hundred online abuse by many people wishing that I was dead, people wishing I had been there 10 seconds earlier.

“I am a Muslim and I have said for many years that my community has no immunity from the bombs, from the bullets, from people who drive vans into crowds. I was caught up in it and for some reason they just don’t want to accept that.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was among those who condemned the comments aimed at Mr Anwar.

She wrote on Twitter: “The far right abuse that @AamerAnwar has suffered since the Barcelona attack is sickening. His dignity stands in contrast to their hatred.”

Mr Anwar said the identities of the victims in the attack demonstrated that people from all countrie and of all religions were killed.

He added: “Every race, creed and religion was represented on Las Ramblas - 34 countries from which the victims came, from the age of three to the age of 80 - and then to be subjected to such horrific abuse.”