Boy,14 held over march chaos
14 more parades planned for Glasgow this month
A boy of 14 was arrested yesterday over the weekend march chaos in Glasgow
GLASGOW faces a month of march chaos with 14 planned in the next three weeks.
The processions follow a weekend of sectarian pitched battles which brought the city to a standstill and saw 11 people arrested.
A boy of 14 was being held by police last night.
Glasgow was thrown into chaos on Saturday, despite a huge police operation.
Officers outnumbered marchers and counter-demonstrators but there were still flashpoints.
An officer was hospitalised after being hit by a flare thrown by one of the 1000 Republican marchers and Loyalist protesters.
The previous weekend there were shameful scenes in Govan as Loyalist protesters clashed with Republican marchers.
Glasgow City Council chiefs said they were aware the marches were draining police resources and causing disruption within communities.
A spokesman said: “We want to thank the police for everything they did to ensure trouble was kept to a minimum on Saturday.
“But with 14 processions coming up this month alone, we know this kind of march continues to disrupt Glasgow’s communities and impact on policing outside the city.
“We will be very carefully considering that community impact when we receive notifications of processions in the future.”
Republican group Cairde na hÉireann sought to distance themselves from dissident groups which also marched on Saturday.
Cairde said they marched to the La Pasionaria statue on the Clydeside to remember the 550 people from Scotland who fought in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War.
A spokesman also tried to distinguish their group from the Friends of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association, which held a separate march on Saturday.
He said: “We are supporters of Sinn Fein and were closely associated with the Provisional IRA but when the Good Friday Agreement was reached, it was decided the ballot box was better than bombs.
“There is no longer a PIRA. For us, the war is over but sadly the IRPWA don’t have the same ideals.
“This is why they have close ties to Continuity IRA and other splinter factions.
“The Govan fiasco was dissidents with no member of Cairde present. A distinction has to be drawn.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am very grateful to all of the officers and police staff involved in the robust policing operation around two processions in Glasgow.
“I hope the officer injured as a result of a pyrotechnic thrown during the event will make a full and speedy recovery.
“It is important that we do not lose sight of the collective need for action to achieve a zero-tolerance approach towards sectarianism and offensive behaviour.
“Scotland’s communities also have a right to feel safe and to be protected from disorder and thuggery.”
A 14-year-old boy was last night being held by police for a breach of the peace during the Irish Republican march in the city.
Ten others, including a 15-yearold boy, have also been arrested.