Police and protesters clash
Ugly scenes as city centre is shut down by eco marchers
POLICE chiefs slammed ‘totally unacceptable’ assaults on ‘a number’ of officers in Glasgow city centre during climate demonstrations yesterday.
Speaking ahead of environmental protests by up to 100,000 demonstrators in the coming days, Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said violence would not be tolerated.
There were five arrests yesterday, including two at a Cop26 demonstration where officers were sprayed with paint.
It came amid widespread protests involving various groups, including Extinction Rebellion (XR).
Police could not say which group the detainees belonged to, but said the arrests took place on Hope Street and Waterloo Street.
Mr Ritchie said: ‘Assaults on officers, who put their safety at risk every day to keep the public safe and have adopted a facilitative and rights-based approach to protest, is totally unacceptable.
‘The protests have caused some delay with travel through the city centre and officers remain on scene. We will provide a proportionate policing response to any protest and violence will not be tolerated.’
The incidents sparked fears of chaos tomorrow and Saturday when two large demonstrations, expected to attract between 58,000 and 100,000 people, will hit the streets. Yesterday, police ‘kettled’ hundreds of activists at an XR event who had attempted a twotheir mile march from Buchanan Galleries shopping centre.
The group had gathered to protest about alleged greenwashing [adopting green spin] by governments and corporations, but had way blocked by officers who detained them along with journalists on St Vincent Street.
One officer and a protester were seen pushing each other, while other participants reported experiencing violence from police.
Among those joining the protests yesterday was Julian New, 31, from the Cotswolds.
He said police became worried about violence after a speech at Buchanan Galleries called on participants to be ‘radical’.
He said: ‘They thought it was going to be violent, so kettled us and tried to split us up.
‘I’ve been pushed nearly to the ground by the police and I’ve seen others pushed too. They’ve been aggressive and I’ve been shouted at by them too. XR is non-violent, it’s in its DNA to be non-violent.’
Kath Headstrong, 50, from Glasgow, said: ‘Police have been heavyhanded. They were shoving me around, stopping us from marching. They have been violent and we’ve been very peaceful.’
Glaswegian Anna Louise Mulvenna, 23, was also critical of the response to protesters.
She said: ‘The police are stopping us from moving forward and it seems unfair and wrong. This is our right to protest.’
Elsewhere, a group of activists occupied a building on the city’s
South Side to offer accommodation for those who have struggled to find a place to stay.
The Hamish Allan Centre, formerly used as homeless accommodation, has been partially taken over to house people who have, according to organisers, been forced to sleep in the city’s parks during the climate summit.
Accommodation prices in the city skyrocketed in the lead-up to the conference, with one Airbnb host forced off the platform after attempting to charge a delegate an extra £1,464 to stay.
Meanwhile, police have been gearing up for a weekend of potential chaos, with tens of thousands of protesters expected to gather at two demonstrations.
Transport chiefs have warned of ‘inevitable’ disruption to travel.
The first protest, marking Youth
‘Violence won’t be tolerated’
‘They shoved me around’
and Public Empowerment Day, will see an estimated 8,000 participants, including teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, march from the West End to the city centre tomorrow.
On Saturday, 50,000 people – and potentially twice that number – are expected to take part in a procession from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green to mark a Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.
Andy Waddell of Glasgow City Council warned the city is likely to be ‘very busy’.
Nicola Blaney, Transport Scotland’s head of events resilience, said: ‘Disruption is inevitable.
‘There is lots of activity taking place so we would urge caution and ask people to check the website GetReadyGlasgow.com and Traffic Scotland for the latest advice before they travel.’