POLICE OFFICER HURT IN CLASHES
TWO people were arrested and a police officer injured after violence broke out between loyalists and republicans during a Bloody Sunday memorial march.
A 50-strong group of loyalists, gathered by the far-right National Defence League (NDL), met parades of more than 200 from the West of Scotland Band Alliance as they marched through Glasgow.
A very heavy police presence was visible in the city centre from early on Saturday morning, with cop vans, armoured vehicles, mounted police and other officers all in place from at least 10am.
Those standing with the NDL gathered on Cambridge Street as the parade made its way from the starting point at Shamrock Street towards the city centre.
On several occasions scuffles broke out along the route through the city centre and into the East End.
After turning on to Renfrew Street the bands were targeted as cans of juice were thrown into the body of the parade, and protesters were chased towards Sauchiehall Street.
Following this, police then sprinted towards the junction of Renfield Street and Sauchiehall Street where further protesters had gathered.
The parade was stopped for around 10 minutes as the route was cleared, with police blocking Sauchiehall Street in both directions and members of the public left unable to pass.
Some members of the NDL and loyalists wore “No Surrender” t-shirts during the parade.
Two short scuffles broke out between protesters and passers-by on Union Street, before another short fight involving one of the protesting group broke out on Argyle Street, a short distance from the parade.
A group of Celtic fans who were attempting to leave the Jury’s Inn hotel on Jamaica Street were also targeted with chants of “paedo”.
As the march progressed police increased separation between the two groups, with police vans lining the sides of the parade.
However, as the event moved into the East End further violent scenes broke out at the Barras.
Members from both groups ran towards each other before cops intervened, with only a small number being removed by police before the parade dispersed on Sydney Street.
The protest came just a week after a police chief warned of the increasing number of loyalist and republican events in Glasgow.
Last year saw concerns raised on several occasions with Glasgow City Council over public safety after violent scenes at parades.
In August there was severe disruption as a republican parade in Govan was met with loyalist protesters as missiles were thrown and road blocks set on fire.
A week later in September a police officer was injured after protests against two Republican marches led to trouble, with one cop hurt by a firework and 10 people arrested.
This was despite a huge police operation, which reportedly cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, with officers in riot gear chasing masked loyalists trying to stop the parades.
As a result, a number of events across Glasgow were cancelled after the council put legal orders in place to prevent them taking place over fears of further violence.
Following Saturday’s violence, officers later confirmed two people had been arrested following the disruption.
An officer was also injured during the event after a missile was thrown.
Police say, however, that the parade came to a conclusion without “significant incident”.
Chief Superintendent Mark Hargreaves said: “We can confirm that the procession concluded at its destination shortly after 1.00pm without significant incident.
“Officers dealt with minor disorder, including missiles being thrown, which resulted in minor injury to a police officer. The procession was stopped a number of times as a result of protest activity to mitigate any further incidents, ensure the safety of all persons involved, and the wider community.
“Two people have been arrested for minor disorder offences.”
Bloody Sunday saw British soldiers shoot 28 unarmed civilians during a protest march against internment in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on January 30, 1972, resulting in 14 people dying.
A public inquiry conducted by a senior judge shortly after the deaths was branded a whitewash by victims’ families and a campaign was launched for a new public inquiry.
Relatives sought to right the wrongs of false claims that their loved ones had been armed. A fresh probe was eventually ordered by then prime minister Tony Blair in 1998.
A decade-long investigation by Lord Saville concluded that the troops killed protesters who posed no threat. Then prime minister David Cameron said the killings were “unjustified”.
The procession was stopped a number of times as a result of protest activity to mitigate incidents