A COUNCIL has issued a banning order to stop an Irish Republican group march from taking place because of public safety concerns raised by police.
South Lanarkshire Council has issued the rare order on the same day Glasgow City Council declined permission for the parade planned for this Saturday after police claimed it would carry a "clear potential" for serious disorder and violence.
It was organised to mark the 45th anniversary of the introduction of the Special Powers Act to introduce internment without trial in Northern Ireland for those suspected of being involved in violence.
Glasgow City Council's public procession committee has told the organisers that they can hold the march on September 3, despite organisers, Independent Republican Bands Scotland (IRBS) saying the date was non-negotiable.
South Lanarkshire councillors have gone further with an outright block, with no alternative date, when IRBS looked to take the parade to Rutherglen on the same day, after hearing the public safety concerns of the police. South Lanarkshire Council's public procession panel, who met behind closed doors, decided to issue a prohibition order under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
According to an 11-year-old Scottish Government-commissioned review of marches and parades in Scotland prohibition orders were extremely rare with councils recording they have never needed to take such a step.
Glasgow's public procession committee, which it is understood did not issue a similar order, declined permission for the march after police said that if the parade takes place on Saturday "there would be a high risk to public safety, a high risk of public disorder and a high risk of disruption to the life of the community".
They said the risks could only be contained by "substantial deployment" of Police Scotland resources, including specialist public order trained officers.
They said that due to other competing events of the day, including two Glasgow Scottish Premiership matches at Ibrox and Firhill, and four other processions, one of which is expected to draw 3000 supporters, they would have to draw police resources from other local authority areas.
Police Scotland also pointed to an anti-internment parade in September, 2014, which was halted on Castlemilk Drive, Glasgow in the interests of public safety. Police made 12 arrests.
It is understood police were concerned about a "history of disorder associated with this event" and received intelligence suggesting counter-protests were planned.
It is understood the organisers were not willing to consider any change to either the date, time or route of their march; meaning the issue would have to be decided by committee.
They have said that the new procession was smaller than that the 2014 parade and pointed out that the organisation had held other parades in Glasgow and other local authority areas without any public disorder.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The committee recognised the organiser’s right to hold a public procession. In the interests of public safety – including those taking part in the procession - it has amended the date and route.”
The agreement to re-introduce internment came at a meeting between the then prime minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner and the UK prime minister Edward Heath on August 5, 1971.
One of the earliest examples of prohibition orders came in March 1980, when Strathclyde Regional Council banned marches by the National Front for a month following their proposal to organise a 'Smash the IRA' march.
In April 1981, the council imposed a three month ban on processions concerned with or connected to directly or indirectly with Northern Irish affairs or organised by persons associated with those affairs.
This was prompted by a series of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations related to prisoners and conditions in prisons in Northern Ireland by various Irish groups. There was a further one month ban in September 1981.
The terms of the banning order needed to be carefully drawn up and were, in fact, amended to ensure that other processions like gala days and political protest marches could go ahead.
Five years ago organisers of an Orange Order funeral march in Motherwell faced court action after staging the event in violation of a prohibition order.
Strathclyde Police said a report would be sent to the procurator fiscal over the violation of the order.
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