People from all over come to make Glasgow their home.

When they first set foot in the city they probably don’t feel ‘at home’.

They may look different to most, speak differently to most and dress differently to most.

It has been the same for generations, centuries, as people leave one place, often forced by political or environmental factors, in search of a better life in another place.

But over time, maybe that one person or one member of their family meets someone else who’s family has been in Glasgow for a longer time.

They get a job in the city and become friends with people who have lived in the city longer.

Many open a business and serve communities that have existed in the city longer.

Some start relationships and get married to someone whose association with Glasgow is longer or deeper.

And through all these processes they become part of the city itself.

They may identify, not as Scottish, but as being from the country they came from and pass this identity to their children in full or in part.

Which is why we have so many people who identify as Irish, or Scots Irish, despite not being born or raised there.

Scots Asians, descended from Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi, parents or grandparents are as proud of their Scottishness as they are their Asian heritage.

Polish, Italian, Lithuanian heritage among many others runs through many families in Glasgow.

If they all have something in common, apart from being Glaswegian, it is that they are descendants of people who came here seeking a better life.

Almost all faced barriers, fears among those already in the city that they will be competition for resources, chiefly jobs and housing.

Fears that are all to easily and repeatedly throughout history exploited by people who actively seek division.

The fact is that most had to, and still have to, exist in sub-standard housing and suffer higher unemployment than the already settled population.

Then they face the racism and discrimination from those seeking to protect what they already have.

The irony in this is that those in George Square who see themselves as different to those protesting for rights for asylum seekers, are those who are also descended from someone, who at some point in history left one place to move somewhere else, the only difference is in the timing.

It should be something that unites us rather than divides us.

As Barack Obama said of Americans, ‘unless you are a native American, you came from someplace else’.

The same applies to Glasgow. At one point no one lived here, then some people settled and the history of Glasgow ever since is one of migration.

Migration from within Scotland, with highlanders coming looking for work, migration from England, with people moving for jobs, migration from Ireland with people escaping famine, migration form Italy with people escaping poverty, migration from the Indian sub-continent, migration from China with people fleeing economic hardship and now migration from Africa and the middle east with people fleeing war, famine and persecution. many as asylum seekers.

We all came from someplace else.

This is my city. I don’t have another.

I was born here, educated here, worked here and brought up children here. My parents and grandparents were, as far as I am aware ,from here.

Beyond that I don’t know. But it is no more my city than anyone else’s, wherever they came from.

Given the history of Glasgow it is an understatement to say the scenes from George Square, in the shadow of the People Make Glasgow building, are disappointing.

The two episodes, on Sunday then on Wednesday, have one thing in common. Racism.

On Sunday it was people who were against Black Lives Matter. Only a few were interested in protecting public monuments notably the Cenotaph. Most were looking for a fight and went charging round the square looking for one.

On Wednesday they were trying to stop people calling for rights for asylum seekers.

They are entitled to disagree with asylum policies in the same way as others are entitled to demand better rights for those seeking asylum.

They are not entitled to use force, intimidation and violence to shut people up.

They are not Glasgow.

Glasgow is bigger than that.

Glasgow is, Glasgow must be, and Glasgow will be, better than that.