SCOTTISH Government ministers will back Glasgow City Council in any efforts to limit the number of marches taking place on its streets, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said.
Yousaf spoke out after violent disorder in Glasgow following “sectarian” marches over the last two weekends. He said the events were a “stain on the city’s reputation” and added: “The events of the last two weekends have clearly demonstrated that sectarian violence is not a thing of the past.”
On Saturday, a policeman was injured after he was hit by a pyrotechnic thrown by a protester, while 11 people were arrested as two marches through the streets of Glasgow descended into violence.
Just over a week earlier, Police Scotland had to step in to deal with “significant disorder” at a march in Govan.
With 14 marches planned during the rest of September – including 11 believed to involve republican or loyalist groups – SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston John Mason is demanding the number of such events be reduced.
Yousaf indicated the Government’s support, saying: “We all have a collective desire, a collective need and a collective interest to eradicate this kind of hatred from our streets. Frankly, the citizens of Glasgow that I speak to have just had enough.
“So when it comes to Glasgow City Council’s desire to reduce the number of marches, I think that is a pretty decent place to start and they will get support from the Government in that endeavour.
“It does frustrate me somewhat, quite a lot frankly, that we’re having to talk about legislation for disorder that is committed by grown men here in 2019 in a multicultural city like Glasgow, when they are fighting battles of centuries gone by.
“But where the council feel there is a need for further legislative options to be explored I have given them an undertaking to do that.”
Earlier, Mason told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that while the right to protest should be protected, he wanted the Scottish Government to consider looking at ways to cut the number of demonstrations taking place.
“I think the quantity of marches is one issue and I would certainly like the Government and the council to be looking at if there are ways to reduce the marches,” he said.
Four loyalist or republican marches are due to take place this Saturday and five are scheduled for the following Saturday.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here