MARCHES BANNED
No sectarian parades allowed this weekend
a BaN has been slapped on all loyalist and republican marches which were due to take place in Glasgow this weekend.
The city council took action yesterday in the wake of two weekends of sectarian violence which was sparked by parades.
They said four Loyalist parades and an Irish Republican march planned for Saturday and Sunday would not go ahead.
The decision comes after violence broke out in Govan during confrontations between an Irish Republican march and Loyalist counter-demonstrators on August 30.
Further disorder took place on the streets of Glasgow last weekend after protesters tried to disrupt two Republican parades on Saturday.
That led to 11 arrests and a police officer was hospitalised after being hit by a flare thrown by a Loyalist protester.
About 400 police officers had been deployed in the city centre in an attempt to keep violence to a minimum.
Senior officers raised concerns over the “high likelihood of public disorder with risk to public safety”.
Glasgow City Council said yesterday: “A meeting of the Public Processions Committee has ordered the prohibition of marches due to take place this weekend.
“The council has always been clear that the law expects it to facilitate public processions, including those that some people oppose or find offensive.
“However, the right to march has to be balanced against the rights of people and communities across Glasgow. The committee has acted to protect the interests of those communities.
“The city has witnessed an unacceptable level of disruption and disorder associated with parades and counter-protests in recent weeks.
“It is clear that tensions are high and the situation threatens to deteriorate further.
“The council directly appeals to those who would have taken part in these marches, or who planned to mount protests against them, to comply with the orders made and not bring further disruption to city streets.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, who previously called the marches a “stain on the city’s reputation”, welcomed the news.
He said: “Pleased that Glasgow City Council have made this decision – we will continue our dialogue to find a longer term solution to reduce the number of Loyalist/ Republican parades going through Glasgow.
“I know the citizens of Glasgow have frankly had enough.”