Hundreds join protest at flats after knife incident

Hundreds of people have taken part in a protest in Edinburgh following an alleged stabbing attack which left two people in hospital.

Protesters gathered outside the Cobbinshaw House tower block in the Calders area of the city where the incident took place on Monday.

Police officers intervened when they moved to confront a counter-protest group organised by trade unionists and anti-racism campaigners.

Mustafa Kokoneh, 23, has appeared in court following Monday's incident. He is accused of threatening to kill a woman, brandishing a knife, chasing her, and attacking her from behind when she was attempting to hide from him.

The charges against Kokoneh allege that he struck the woman, who was a shop customer, on the head with a glass bottle and attempted to murder her.

He is also accused of attempting to murder a man by repeatedly striking him on the body with a knife, to his severe injury and permanent impairment.

Kokoneh appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in private on Wednesday, where made no plea and was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear in court again next week.

Local resident Andy Milne said he was at the protest due to concerns over young men who have recently moved into the area.

Referring to Monday's events, he said: "When you look at the news and see something down south like this, you think these people must be affected.

"I seen a girl pick her child up from school in tears, saying she wanted to move away, because we don't know who these people are."

Some of those present had previously taken part in anti-immigration protests elsewhere.

Tensions briefly ramped up when the crowd moved to confront a counter-protest outside a nearby church, however police kept the two sides apart.

Willie Black, from Trades Unions in Communities, was one of the organisers of the counter-protest.

He said: "I think what's happened is the far right brought people from all different parts of Scotland to make it look like they've got a big mob.

"The local people didn't want this situation, they didn't want the stabbing, they didn't want division. And that's the kind of division that those people have come to create."