Face of Nation : Hundreds of people joined a demonstration in Glasgow in protest at a decision to ban marches this weekend over fears of sectarian disorder. Four Loyalist marches and an Irish Republican parade were banned by the council after a meeting on Wednesday.
It followed violent sectarian clashes on the two previous weekends. The Scottish Protestants Against Discrimination group, backed by the Orange Order, organised Saturday’s protest outside Glasgow City Chambers.
Jim McHarg, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, said he would be “standing side by side” with Spad in protest at the council’s decision. The council prohibited the marches after disturbances on the previous two weekends.
It is understood that the council buildings will be closed to staff apart from a few exceptions. On Saturday 7 September, a police officer was injured as two Irish Republican marches and Loyalist counter-demonstrations were held in Glasgow.
The heavy police presence came a week after a full-scale riot developed in Govan when Loyalists tried to disrupt another Irish Republican parade. Police told Glasgow City Council that its intelligence pointed to a “strong likelihood” of disorder at marches in the city this weekend.
Supt John McBride said there had been calls on social media from Republicans to target Loyalist events and demands from Loyalists to protest against Republican parades. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said the violence and destruction on the city streets over the past two weekends had been “simply unacceptable”.
“We can’t have repeats of that nor can we repeat the very heavy police presence that was on the streets last Saturday,” she said. “It is not sustainable or desirable to constantly have 400-plus officers in full public order gear on the city streets every weekend.”
Ms Aitken said there needed to be a moratorium on marches to provide some “breathing space” and an opportunity to work out what to do next. “Whatever we thought we knew about parades, that’s not what is happening any more,” she said.
The Church of Scotland said it recognised that the decision made by Glasgow City Council was not based on religious discrimination nor a desire to oppress the protestant faith. However, Mr McHarg, from the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, accused Glasgow City councillors of “illegal measures that curtail a citizen’s right of peaceful assembly”.
He said: “Our parades are the way we exercise our right of assembly, and our membership takes part in our parades with great respect and decorum.” Mr McHarg said the Orange Order played no part in any of the previous incidents and blamed the “chaotic scenes” on “a hard-core element from both sides of the argument”. “We will not stand idly by whilst our democratic right of free assembly is curtailed by politically motivated anti-unionist nationalists,” he said.
