MacAskill rejects demand for Green Brigade police probe

Chief Scottish Political Correspondent

Wednesday 20 March 2013

JUSTICE Secretary Kenny MacAskill has rebuffed calls for an inquiry into police action in Glasgow on Saturday when a group of Celtic fans were kettled as they tried to stage a protest on the way to a match.

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ROBBIE DINWOODIE CHIEF SCOTTISH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Mr MacAskill said he had "complete faith in the police to take appropriate action against those who broke the law" and noted it was Labour in 2006 who had brought in the requirement for those planning to march or demonstrate to seek permission in advance from the local authority.

"In relation to events in Glasgow on Saturday, no such application was received," he said, adding that the police would be happy to brief any MSP on the events and, after any trials, make CCTV footage available to them. Labour MSP Michael McMahon, who raised the issue at Holyrood, said the police and Mr MacAskill had used the same method of deflecting questions from the real issue. He said he had already had a meeting with the police, and at Justice questions the previous week he had raised concerns over the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act. The Hamilton North and Bellshill MSP said lawyers, academics and football fans felt the Act, and the policing of it, was failing to tackle the problem of sectarianism in Scotland and was in fact raising tensions and being counter-productive. "In response to the harassment, victimisation and disproportionate actions of the police in pursuing the Act, a protest was held on Saturday by Celtic fans," he said. "Sadly, it has been widely alleged, by not only fans but QCs and independent legal advisers who attended on Saturday, that the event was met with the very harassment, victimisation and disproportionate actions by the police which the fans were protesting against in the first place. So will the Minister agree to hold an inquiry into the police's handling of this event, to both learn lessons from it and to try to reduce the increasing tensions which are emerging across Scotland between the fans and police as a result of the police's implementation of the Act?" Mr McAskill said that if the MSP wanted to take the issue further, he should approach the chief constable or invoke the police complaints procedure. The 13 charges brought on Saturday related to misuse of drugs, breach of the peace or other public order matters. Meanwhile, it has emerged that a protest against the Act has been planned for George Square for early next month. Fans Against Criminalisation, an umbrella group, plan to gather on April 6 for a protest which legally requires no permission, as it is static, but would expect to have been notified to the authorities. A spokesman said: "On April 6 at 12pm we will once again rally at George Square and we invite everyone who shares our concerns to join us."

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MacAskill rejects demand for Green Brigade police probe

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