Re-routing for Loyalist marches is ‘reasonable’
A SHERIFF has published his reasons behind refusing an appeal by Loyalist groups after Glasgow City Council ordered them to re-route their marches.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry Bridgeton had intended to march through Glasgow’s East End on June 1 this year as part of their annual Orange Order parades.
However after concerns from Police Scotland the council took the decision to re-route the procession away from two Catholic Churches.
One of those on the route, St Alphonsus Church on London Road, was in the news the previous year after the priest, Canon Thomas White, was spat on outside during a similar march in July 2018.
The man responsible, Bradley Wallace from Uddingston, was jailed for 10 months.
Another parade that passed the church in May this year saw chants of “Fenian b ****** s” and “paedo” emerging from the supporters of the group.
Four Loyalist groups launched a court battle in an attempt to overturn the council’s decision, citing Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights – which is the right to freedom of assembly and association as detailed in the European Convention
Rights.
However, as we reported in May, the sheriff dismissed the appeals, ruling that the council’s reasons were “reasonable and rational, with a sufficient factual foundation”.
In his written judgement only just now released, Sheriff Reid said that, based on the submission by Police Scotland, the Glasgow City Council “reasonably concluded” that the route of the march past the churches on Human “would have the likely effect of causing disruption of the life of the community, due to an apprehended risk of violent criminality or disorder aggravated by religious prejudice”.
He continued: “The spitting on a priest, shouts of ‘Fenian b ****** s’, all occurring on the steps of a Catholic church, is serious criminality aggravated by religious prejudice which, viewed in context, can properly be considered to be divisive of social cohesion and community harmony.”