A LEGAL debate is to take place over the practice of police "kettling" to control protesters.
Solicitor Patrick Campbell is challenging the controversial tactic – where crowds are contained inside police cordons – on behalf of his client Dominic O'Hara, who faces charges of police assault.
Mr O'Hara, a member of anti-cuts group the Glasgow Defence Campaign, was part of a protest on January 29 last year, when it is claimed that Strathclyde Police employed the procedure.
The campaigner was later arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
A legal debate on the issue is due to take place at Glasgow Justice of the Peace Court on March 1.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign is planning a rally outside the court to support Mr O'Hara and protest against the tactic.
The move comes as Strathclyde Police was told to re-examine a complaint by a protester who was kettled during a demonstration in January last year.
The unnamed man said he feared he would be "crushed to death" in the panicking crowd and said there was "a real over- reaction by the police".
Professor John McNeil, Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland, ruled that the complaint should have been handled by the force's Professional Standards Department, rather than the local division.
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