Justice secretary backs reducing number of marches in Glasgow

Scottish Government ministers will back Glasgow City Council in any efforts to limit the number of marches taking place in its streets, the justice secretary has said.

Humza Yousaf spoke out after violent disorder in Glasgow following “sectarian” marches over the last two weekends.

He claimed the events were a “stain on the city’s reputation”.

Police blocked a road in Govan as trouble flared following an Irish Unity march and counter-protest.

The justice secretary said: “The events of the last two weekends have clearly demonstrated that sectarian violence is not a thing of the past.”

On Saturday, a policeman was injured after he was hit by a pyrotechnic thrown by a protester, while 11 people were arrested as two marches through the streets of Glasgow descended into violence.

Just over a week earlier, Police Scotland had to step in to deal with “significant disorder” at a march in Govan.

With 14 marches planned during the rest of September, including 11 believed to involve republican or loyalist groups, SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston John Mason is demanding the number of such events be reduced.

Mr Yousaf indicated the government’s support, saying: “We all have a collective desire, a collective need and a collective interest to eradicate this kind of hatred from our streets.

“Frankly, the citizens of Glasgow that I speak to have just had enough.

“They had had a tolerance for these kind of marches for many a year and they have just had enough.”

Earlier, Mr Mason told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that while the right to protest should be protected, he wanted the Scottish Government to consider looking at ways to cut the amount of demonstrations taking place.

“I think the quantity of marches is one issue and

I would certainly like the government and the council to be looking at if there are ways to reduce the marches,” he said.

MSP John Mason wants a cut in the number of marches.