The incident involving a Scottish girl wielding a knife and an axe occurred on August 23, 2025, in the Lochee area of Dundee, Scotland. It centers around a confrontation between a group of youths and a Bulgarian couple (a man and a woman), which was captured on video and rapidly spread on social media.
The confrontation happened around 7:40 PM on Saturday, August 23, 2025, on St Ann Lane (off Coupar Angus Road) in Dundee’s Lochee neighborhood, a deprived area with high rates of poverty, poor health outcomes, and crime. Police vehicles responded to the nearby Balgay Street car park.
A 12-year-old girl (the primary subject, who cannot be named under Scottish law due to her age) and other youths approached a Bulgarian couple.
The girl was in possession of a bladed weapon (described variably as a kitchen knife or machete) and an axe (possibly a hatchet).
A short clip, filmed by the man in the couple, shows two distressed girls (one appearing to be around 12, the other possibly the 12-year-old charged) on a grass verge.
The older girl (believed to be the 12-year-old) initially hides the weapons behind her back. The man repeatedly says, “Show the knife, show the knife.”
She then brandishes the knife and axe, shouting, “Don’t fing touch her, she’s fing 12,” and “You’re fing battering kids, mate... You’re fing kid bashers.”
The girls appear scared and protective of each other. The man backs away but continues filming. No physical violence is visible in the footage.
False claims: The man was a “Muslim migrant” attempting assault or speaking Arabic; the girls were at risk of rape; multiple police vehicles responded to a “migrant attack.”
Bulgarian couple confirmed as victims of the approach by youths. No substantiation for harassment claims.
Lochee has high deprivation (60% of children in top 5% most-deprived areas in Scotland), contributing to youth issues like knife-carrying for intimidation rather than defense, per local discussions
The identification of the couple involved in the Dundee Lochee incident (August 23, 2025) as Bulgarian stems directly from official statements by Police Scotland, as reported by multiple reputable news outlets. These sources emphasize that the couple—a man and a woman—were approached by a group of youths, and police investigations found no evidence supporting online claims of harassment or assault by the couple. The reports counter widespread misinformation on social media, including speculation about the couple’s ethnicity or immigration status.
(Chief Superintendent Nicola Russell’s statement: “We are aware of misinformation being shared on social media in relation to an incident where a Bulgarian couple were approached by youths...”)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r40gylxpwo
https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/dundee-police-police-scotland-b2815252.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/dundee-police-police-scotland-b1244748.html