Bragging as they light up joints, while police stroll by in city centre
WITH a cannabis joint in her hand, she was clearly visible as she stood smoking in Glasgow’s George Square.
But police nearby did nothing to stop the teenager, one of more than 200 people at a pro-cannabis rally yesterday.
For most of the eight-hour event only two uniformed officers were present, prompting claims Police Scotland had chosen to turn a blind eye.
Glasgow City Council had refused permission for the rally in the square which, just days ago, was the scene of a memorial to student Karen Buckley.
The 24-year-old was found dead after going missing in the city.
But the council could only move Miss Buckley’s flowers after it became clear the campaigners planned to go ahead anyway.
Yesterday, as office workers sat eating their sandwiches, revellers lit joints outside the city chambers, bragging: ‘They cannot arrest us all.’
One young woman posed for photographs while smoking marijuana.
She said: ‘I think the police are turning a bit of a blind eye to this, they probably don’t want all the paperwork at the end of the day.
‘Everyone is smoking cannabis, and I have just brought one joint for my own use, so they can’t do me for it.’ A 20-year- old maths student calling himself Cristiano Bombatomica, from Dundee University, said: ‘ The police have kept their distance
‘Hopefully, there will be just too many people for them to arrest everyone.’
Pro-cannabis campaigner Paul Birch, a millionaire co-founder of social media site Bebo, said: ‘This has been very l i ght- t ouch policing.’
But Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: ‘ It’s extremely irresponsible of Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland to allow this event to go ahead.’
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: ‘The event organisers are using one of our parks without permission.’
Police Scotland had said before the event that it would be policed ‘appropriately’.
A spokesman said yesterday: ‘The police are not proactively going out and arresting big groups of people – only if people are blatantly breaking the law.’
Last night, the force confirmed six men in their 20s were charged with drug offences.
A man, 35, was arrested for a breach of the peace and a man, 24, arrested for a bail breach.