Public Processions - Saturday, 7 September

Published: 4 September 2019

On Friday night, a protest against a public procession taking place in Govan was at the centre of significant disorder.

Following these events, the council felt it was important to look again at two marches due to take place this Saturday, 7 September. This has involved looking at whether to convene a processions committee to consider taking a different view of the two marches in light of what are radically changed circumstances.

As part of this process, the Chief Executive and officers from Police Scotland met the organisers of this weekend's processions.

In order to inform her decision, the Chief Executive also had extensive discussions with senior Police Scotland officers.  Following those discussions the Chief Executive has decided not to call another processions committee.

This has the effect that the marches can go ahead as previously agreed with the organisers.

This is a dynamic situation and the council and Police Scotland will continue to monitor the circumstances around these processions. Today's decision is not final and could change in response to a change in circumstances.

Annemarie O'Donnell, the Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council said:

"The scenes we saw in Govan on Friday were a disgrace and they must not be repeated. However the options open to Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland are limited, both by the law - people's right to march and protest - and by circumstance.

"At this time, I am satisfied that severely restricting or prohibiting Saturday's processions would not reduce the likelihood of further trouble and might place additional burdens on Police Scotland as they manage an already difficult situation. I understand that people may not agree with this decision, but after my discussions with the police I am convinced this presents the best chance of keeping people safe.

"Ultimately the responsibility for ensuring that Saturday's marches are safe lies with the organisers and the protesters. They must commit themselves to behave in a way which will not further stretch the patience of their fellow Glaswegians."