Nigel Farage was once run out of Edinburgh. Now Scottish voters are embracing his rabble-rousing | Dani Garavelli

"Almost 13 years ago, at a press briefing to launch Ukip's first Scottish byelection campaign, Nigel Farage was run out of Edinburgh by jeering protesters. Back then, Ukip's support was running at nearly 25% in the English local elections, and less than 1% in Scotland. On Saturday, Farage will venture back across the border to host a sold-out Reform UK campaign event in Falkirk, a town which has recently seen angry demonstrations outside a hotel hosting asylum seekers."

"While anti-racism protesters will no doubt turn out in force again, support for Farage's new party has risen dramatically. Polls suggest the SNP will still win the most seats in May's Scottish parliamentary election, but Reform UK, benefiting from the country's hybrid PR system, could come second. This turnaround is a hammer-blow to the self-image of a country that has sold itself as uniquely welcoming to migrants, but now finds sections of its population are as susceptible to anti-immigration rabble-rousing as anywhere else."

"Back in 2013, when Farage was forced to escape in a police riot van, the pro-independence campaign was in full flow. Central to its vision was the idea that Scottish nationalism was a civic affair, of which anyone who committed to the country could consider themselves a part. Not only would Scotland embrace its incomers, it would protect them from UK hostility."

Nigel Farage was run out of Edinburgh nearly 13 years ago and will return to Falkirk to host a sold-out Reform UK event amid protests over a hotel hosting asylum seekers. Support for Reform UK has risen dramatically; polls still predict the SNP will win the most seats, but Reform could come second under the hybrid PR system. The surge undermines Scotland's image as uniquely welcoming to migrants and shows parts of the population are susceptible to anti-immigration rhetoric. Scottish nationalism was once framed as civic and inclusive, promising protection for incomers from UK hostility, exemplified by the Glasgow Girls and Pollokshields defenders. Falkirk protests, with chants like "Send them home" and appeals to ancestral homelands, reflect a turn toward blood-and-soil nationalism.

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