Anti-asylum protest organiser fined for abusing police officer

The leader of a group which organised months of anti-immigration protests outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been fined for swearing at and abusing a police officer.

Connor Graham, 28, admitted a breach of the peace after an incident outside the Hotel Cladhan in Falkirk on 6 December.

He was the organiser of Save Our Futures and Our Kids' Futures (SOF) until he said in January that he had disbanded the group.

Sheriff William Gilchrist fined Graham £540, telling him: "It's you who seem to be a risk to the local community, rather than individuals residing in this hotel."

Speaking outside the court, Graham said he thought the sheriff's comments were "outrageous", and said he was an "upstanding citizen of this community".

He added: "If anybody commits a crime they should be able to deal with the punishment.

"I did make a mistake on that day by calling the officer what I called him."

Falkirk Sheriff Court previously heard that Graham admitted acting aggressively and shouting and swearing and uttering threatening and derogatory remarks to PC Nathan Wilson while he was on duty.

One of the remarks was said to have been a disablist slur against the officer.

His not guilty plea to a second charge alleging he was attempting to incite violence was accepted.

The court was told that the hotel has been used by the Home Office for housing asylum seekers.

Graham, a roofer, was said to have "lost his temper" after protesters from SOF were kept back from the hotel by a police cordon.

He then thought a counter-protestor from an anti-fascist group, whom he claimed had been abusing him online, had been allowed on the other side of the cordon.

Prosecutor Karen Chambers said a police officer on public order duty believed Graham was trying to get through "a gap", and pulled him back to prevent him from doing so.

She said that Graham became aggressive and shouted abusive remarks to the officer.

He later told police: "My hands are up, I'm guilty of that. I know it happened, ultimately I shouldn't have done it."

Solicitor Simon Hutchison, defending, said Graham had started the protests in the summer of 2025,

He said: "He had sincerely-held beliefs in relation to deficiencies in community safety and most importantly problems caused by unchecked immigration and crimes caused by some of these people.

"He helped by peaceful protests to bring these concerns to the public."

Hutchison said Graham disbanded the protest group after the Cladhan protests were "hijacked by the far right".

He said Graham had "stupidly lost his temper" after the police officer pushed him back.

Hutchison added: "He is very, very sorry."

The court heard Graham had previous convictions, including dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Imposing the fine, Sheriff Gilchrist told Graham: "It's somewhat ironic that your claimed motivation for being there was concern about public safety – the irony being that you have a very extensive record yourself."