BAN THE MARCHES!
Council pledges crackdown as sectarian violence explodes
A CRACKDOWN on marches and parades has been pledged after a riot between Irish Republicans and Loyalist groups.
Officials say they will consider ‘any action’ to protect the public from ‘morons intent on bringing mayhem to the streets’, leaving the possibility that processions could be banned in Glasgow.
Hundreds of police officers struggled to control fights on Friday – with missiles and smoke bombs thrown and road blocks set on fire – after tensions flared at an Irish Unity march and sectarian thugs ran amok in the city’s Govan area.
A police statement said: ‘A planned parade was met by a disruptive counter-demonstration by several hundred people in the Elder Park area, with significant disorder in and around Govan Road.’
Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon called the riot, which left locals trapped inside nearby properties for hours, ‘utterly unacceptable’.
At its height, Govan Road was blocked by riot police as a helicopter, mounted officers and dog units provided extra support.
Two men, aged 37 and 21, have been arrested and charged.
The violence started just before 7pm, 15 minutes after the march, led by the James Connolly Republican Flute Band, set off from Elder Park. It was soon met by a counterdemonstration by Loyalist groups. One shop owner on Govan Road said he had been forced to pull his shutters down to protect his property as the violence escalated.
He added: ‘It was terrifying. I was trapped for two and a half hours, scared to leave.
‘A woman and her boys cowered in my doorway for protection, but I couldn’t lift the shutters to let her in, in case dozens of rioters stormed my shop. Some elderly customers have lived here for 45 or 50 years and say they’ve never seen anything like it. This can’t be allowed to happen again.
‘Something needs to be done. All this hate is getting out of hand.’
A local resident said she had seen about 70 people, dressed in black with scarves hiding their faces, marching past her home shortly before the violence began. She added: ‘It was sinister and shocking, like something out of a movie.
‘You don’t expect to see people acting like that around here.’
Glasgow City Council, which gave permission for the march, has said it will review its procedures – a move welcomed last night by the First Minister and Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf.
In a statement, the council said: ‘The city needs and wants fewer marches. The council is clear the law expects it to facilitate public processions, including those some people oppose or find offensive.
‘However, this cannot continue to be at the expense of the overwhelming majority of Glaswegians, who want nothing to do with these marches, or counter-protests.
‘We are prepared to consider any action that will protect communities from morons intent on bringing mayhem to the streets.’
Police Scotland has said it will undertake a ‘thorough and robust’ review of events.
In consultation with the council last month, its only condition regarding the march was that the Sean McIlvenna Republican Flute Band did not take part due to the ‘risk to public order’.
Miss Sturgeon thanked Police Scotland for its quick response and said she welcomed the council’s commitment to carry out a review.
She added: ‘Peaceful protest is a part of our democracy – violent and sectarian disruption is not.’
Mr Yousaf said it was ‘utterly depressing to see this divisive thuggery on our streets’.
‘It was terrifying, I was trapped for hours’