Police harassment of Green Brigade intensifies

As regular readers of this blog will know, over the course of the last two years police harassment of political activists has steadily increased. Alongside this, state attacks on democratic rights have been broadened to include wider sections of the population and in Glasgow, most notably, fans of Celtic Football Club. The Green Brigade, a collection of progressive Celtic fans who support their team in the Ultra style, have bore the brunt of these attacks and continue to do so. Below we reproduce the latest statement from the Green Brigade and encourage our followers to take the time to read it.

On this issue, the Glasgow Defence Campaign would like to re-affirm our position that political attacks must be fought with a political defence. We ask all of our readers to arm themselves with the necessary legal information needed to defend themselves but say from experience that the battle in defence of our rights is one that must take place both inside the courts but most importantly on the streets, or in this case, the stadiums. Ultimately this is where the battle will be decided.

The GDC once again calls for a broad and unified campaign to defeat Strathclyde police's vicious attacks on both political activists and football supporters.

We send our solidarity to the fans of Celtic F.C and give our support to the two match boycott that has been organised by the Green Brigade to further highlight the attacks which have taken place.

In the courts,on the streets, in the stadiums - an injury to one is an injury to all.

Green Brigade Statement

Two weeks ago, we put out the above statement about the continued harassment of the Green Brigade. The response and support we received was excellent from the rest of the Celtic support, and obviously this is something we are very grateful for.

The reason for this statement was because we felt it was time that the extent of this harassment was made public. We also hoped that Strathclyde Police would see sense and end the criminalisation of our group. Sadly, if anything, they have increased the pressure since this was released. A newspaper report last year claimed that one of their senior officers had promised to 'smash the Green Brigade' and it certainly looks like their plan is in motion.

Last Wednesday was a special night at Celtic Park. The display before the match was beyond our wildest expectations, the atmosphere was electric from start to finish and more importantly, Celtic beat arguably the best team in world football. It is a night that will live long in the memory of everyone connected to the club.

However, while the rest of the support were still on Cloud 9, our group was brought back down to Earth with a bump as it transpired that Strathclyde Police had visited yet another two members' home with a view to charging them. To put this into perspective, this means that just under 50% of the Green Brigade have either faced, or are facing a police charge/ban from football.

Last week, the first home league match since we released the initial statement, a young fan from within 111 was arrested and taken away for the 'crime' of having a water bottle inside a football stadium. When questioned about their actions, one of the senior officers within the stadium, Alex Kelly, smugly replied that "if you don't play ball, we won't play ball." In other words, this young fan was being used as a pawn in their game.

On top of that, news broke that they had also visited a fan in Liverpool having (wrongly) assumed that he was involved in the Green Brigade. Why they visited him remains unclear just now but it is something which we're looking into, and obviously concerned about.

We've also heard worrying developments involving a member of the Govan Emerald CSC, which will be revealed over the weekend in a statement from their own members. It wouldn't be right for us to comment on this any further until they have released this publically.

It has come to the stage where we have to act and fight back. We can't continue to let the Police have free reign to arrest and charge whoever they please. It is having an astronomical effect on people's livelihoods. Those members who are left without a charge can't even enjoy the football anymore in case it leads to a chap at the door that could change their lives forever. The grim reality is that if we don't act now, there may not be a group left come the end of the season.

As a result, we have no choice but to highlight this further in the form of a two-match boycott from Celtic Park. This will begin immediately and means that during the forthcoming league match V Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Scottish Cup match V Arbroath, the Green Brigade will not be present whatsoever. This is clearly not a decision that has been taken lightly. Our members live for going to watch and support the team we love, just like every other fan out there. Sadly, we aren't being treated like every other fan and in fact face victimisation and harassment on a scale that is unimaginable.

We hope that this boycott will raise awareness of our situation and the end result will be that Strathclyde Police will relent. We'd also once again ask Celtic PLC to defend the fans by using their considerable influence to bring an end to these oppresive police tactics.

We would ask that everyone in Section 111 joins us in this protest and that the area is left empty during both matches. We have been very lucky in that other season-book holders within our section have supported us all the way and we hope that this will continue. Fans in this section who want to join us in protest may have to cancel their payment for the Arbroath match if they are on the home cup ticket scheme.

We'd like to stress again that this is not something that will be taken lightly. Many of our members haven't missed a Celtic match in years so it's clearly not been easy to come to this decision. However, it is simply a last resort as this cannot be allowed to continue. The continued support of those in 111, and indeed the rest of the Celtic community is greatly appreciated and we can't thank you enough. Without this, the group wouldn't have survived.

We'd also like to make it clear to those who wish to see the end of the Green Brigade, that we will be sticking by the motto created when we were formed in 2006 and will not go down without a fight.

Until The Last Rebel

Hands off the peoples in Europe! Hands off George Square!

On a day of mass protest across Europe in opposition to domestic and international ruling class austerity the Glasgow Defence Campaign joined forces with Coalition of Resistance on a march they had organised to show solidarity with the general strikes taking place and opposition to Glasgow City Council plans to sell George Square off to private companies.

A Glasgow Defence Campaign supporter spoke at the demonstration contrasting the vibrancy of the movement in Europe, to Britain where the trade union movement maintains its links to the Labour party, giving them platforms to peddle the illusion that somehow under Labour matters would be different. This is a political standpoint which seeks to deny the true state of affairs and the task which is before us. The crisis is a fundamental crisis of the capitalist system – where there can be no capitalist solutions.

A movement can and must be built in Britain within the communities led by those most affected by the cuts; that movement if it is to be effective must make central to it the need to defend the right to protest and defend all those who face criminalisation for political activities. It is these principles the GDC have been fighting for.

The GDC supporter stated;

Lets be very clear in our own minds this city council...are in cahoots with the police and a state determined to crush and restrict our rights in any effective protest; it starts off with the privatisation of George Square and it ends up with the criminalisation of effective protest...we say that unity is strength and that the resistance must stand firm on the principle of defending democratic rights.

Solidarity with the peoples of Europe!

Hands off George Square!

Defend the right to Protest!

A video from the demonstration to follow...

Report of Hands Off George Square! Meeting

On Tuesday night Glasgow Defence Campaign supporters met to discuss ways to take our work in defence of George Square forward. So far we have produced articles highlighting council plans to commercialise the Square, held street stalls, postered public areas, organised a banner drop, contacted politicians and public figures and led organising meetings to generate larger opposition.

The meeting was well attended and produced concrete plans for more action in the near future. These include sending letters to the Herald newspaper on Thursday 15 November, the day that the design competition is legally meant to conclude, and an information street stall on Saturday 24 November, 1-3pm, outside Sports Direct on Argyle Street. On and around these dates supporters will be working to publicise our RIP George Square Protest, Saturday 1 December, 1pm assembly, Donald Dewar statue, Buchanan Street, City Centre.

If you wish to help out contact us at glasgowdefence@yahoo.co.uk, mobile no. 07734348065 or attend our next organising meeting.

Hands Off George Square! Organising Meeting

Tuesday 27 November, 7.30pm

Downstairs in Bar Bacchus,

80 Glassford Street 

Glasgow G1 1UR

Trial of GDC Supporter Begins

Supporters of the Glasgow Defence Campaign gathered yesterday in the Sheriff Court to defend Dominic O’Hara standing trial on trumped up police assault and obstruction charges dating back to an anti-cuts protest in Glasgow on 29 January 2011. This was our post at the time of his arrest http://glasgowdefencecampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/breaking-news-another-frfi-activist.html

Now almost two years on the case has finally begun after a long delay owing to questions of whether the police kettle of the protest that day was a breach of European Convention of Human Rights legislation. The first police witness has given his evidence which due to the ongoing case the GDC is not at liberty to report all the details of.

Miriam Kelly of the Glasgow Defence Campaign commented;

‘We maintain that the criminal actions committed on the protest of 29 Januray 2011 belong to Strathclyde Police officers. The kettle of peaceful protestors and the vigilante style in which Dominic was arrested illustrates who the real danger to public safety was that day.  Our comrade has been the target of trumped up charges twice before and this case is likewise an attempt to criminalise him for his involvement in The Glasgow Defence Campaign and Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! We will continue our work undeterred!’

The trail is to recommence on the Tuesday 27 November, 11am, Sheriff Court 19. We ask all those who believe in the right to protest free from police violence, harassment, arrest and trumped up charges to attend in support.

Solidarity!

Onwards as ever!

George Square: And the winner is...?

Today the winner will be decided! One thing is sure – it won’t be the people of Glasgow!

Monday 12 November marks the day when the ‘winning’ design for the redevelopment of George Square is decided. Not by the citizens of Glasgow but by a select panel of private profiteers and self interested politicians, amongst others:

      - Head of Glasgow City Council, Labour’s Gordon Matheson, a determined supporter of service cuts and wage freezes, the demolition of the Accord day care centre and personal enrichment

 - Geoff Ellis, promoter of T in the Park, presumably brought on board for his astute knowledge of how to milk as much profit as possible from large crowds of people

      - Neil Baxter (in observer capacity), the architect and advisor to notorious Glasgow businessman Stefan King in ill-fated attempts to turn the Botanic Gardens into a nightclub

Are these the people we want deciding how to ‘redevelop’ George Square? We can only guess at how much time they will spend discussing the need for green space, free public use, ending the prostituting of the square for commercial use, its importance as a space for political protest…

As usual, the judging of the design competition seems to be taking place in secret, and the GDC was unable to uncover the location where the judging is to happen. Nonetheless, supporters of the GDC where up early this morning to drop banners at Charing Cross and let as many people as possible know what is happening to our city.

Now’s the time to get involved!

On Tuesday, the campaign will hold its next organising meeting, with a plan of action, protest and much else being discussed. There will also be protests outside the Sherriff Court in support of a Glasgow Defence Campaign supporter facing trial for taking part in anti-cuts protest in January 2011. Hands off George Square! Defend the right to protest!

Tuesday 13 November, from 9.30am

‘Defend the right to protest! Drop the charges now!’

Demonstration outside Glasgow Sherriff Court, in support of GDC supporter Dominic O'Hara facing trial for protesting. Trial starts 10am.

Tuesday 13 November, 7.30pm

Hands off George Square: organising meeting

Downstairs at Bar Bacchus, Glassford Street,

Glasgow city centre

All welcome

Save Our Square! Second meeting on George Square

Much to be done with little time to do it! This was the message which dominated the second meeting of the Glasgow Defence Campaign in opposition to the privatisation of George Square and remaining threats to limit protest in the city. 

On Monday 12 November, a panel will be selecting the winner of a design competition for the square, with a rapid schedule of ‘redevelopment’ in place thereafter. The council itself has admitted that such development will potentially shut off the square to the public for two years. It is now or never to ‘save our square’!

 

Those judging the competition include head of Glasgow City Council, Labour’s Gordon Matheson; T in the Park promoter, Geoff Ellis; and as an observer, the architect Neil Baxter, who was an advisor to notorious Glasgow businessman Stefan King in ill-fated attempts to turn the Botanic Gardens into a night club. A motley collection of rogues indeed! It is clear that any winning design will have self-interest and profit, rather than the public, at heart.

 

A list of actions were agreed by the meeting as a starting point for opposition. Our next campaign meeting will be Tuesday 13 November. Details below.

 

Saturday 10 November, 1-3pm, Glasgow Defence Campaign Rally ‘SOS - Save Our Square!’ Donald Dewar Statue, Top of Buchanan Street , City Centre. Help campaigners hand out leaflets and spread awareness amongst the public.

 

Monday 12 November, proposal to picket the Design Competition judgement; contact the campaign for details.

 

Tuesday 13 November, Glasgow Defence Campaign ‘Save Our Square!’ organising meeting, 7.30-9.30pm, Downstairs in Bar Bacchus, 80 Glassford Street, Glasgow G1 1UR

 

Wednesday 14 November, Coalition Of Resistance rally in George Square in solidarity with the general strikes in Spain, Greece and Portugal. The Glasgow Defence Campaign will be joining those assembled for a period between 12noon-6pm. Contact the campaign for more details.

 

Saturday 1 December, 1-3pm, RIP George Square protest, Assemble Donald Dewar Statue, Top of Buchanan Street, City Centre. Join the Glasgow Defence Campaign dressed as councillors (suited and booted) to save George Square from the death being planned by the Council. Cardboard casket to be dumped at front of City Chambers at end of protest.

Sieze the time!

Spread the word!

Save our square!

Hands off George Square - second action meeting

'Hands off George Square!' Tuesday 30 October, 7.30pm Bar Bacchus, Glassford Street, Glasgow

Hands off George Square: defending democratic rights – Report of Public Meeting

The gloves are off! The time is now! Get organised or get banned from protesting in your own city centre square!

A gathering of Glasgow citizens met last night to discuss how to respond to Glasgow City Council’s attempt to ban protest rights in George Square as part of its redevelopment plan. The meeting was called by the Glasgow Defence Campaign.

Paul Mallon of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! drew attention to the lessons of history (the struggle for civil and political rights for the nationalist community in the North of Ireland, the 1980s uprisings of the black community and miners' strike in Britain, the poll tax protests in Glasgow in the 1990s) to further our understanding of the reasons why protest rights are attacked by the state in certain periods while left alone at others. He stated “first they come for the communists and socialists then it is the liberals and then it is broadened out to include much wider sections of society, the German and Italian people saw this concretely when fascism rose not so long ago”.

The following speaker from Spain, who has been researching and in contact with the Spanish Indignados (‘the indignant’) movement, made clear why this is a period where democratic  rights are being attacked across Europe and the world. Mass unemployment, especially of highly educated youth, attacks on public services, yet more and more cuts to the living standards of the people! The ruling class she said ‘are scared!’ of the resistance that must arise out of the misery of the masses – this is why the police repression in Spain and Greece has reached levels reminiscent of that meted out under fascism and the state in Britain have legalised the use of water cannons and rubber bullets against crowds. The use of terrorism legislation against anti-cuts protest in Europe was a clear indication of the process of state criminalisation that is underway. The ruling class are preparing to impose their crisis on the people– peacefully or violently – however they deem necessary. The only solution is to get organised and reclaim the streets!

In the discussion that followed one attendee said that the privatisation of public space was a crucial issue that must be opposed at every step. He applauded the GDC for taking the initiative to call the meeting. A Green councillor went through the council document - http://glasgowdefencecampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/george-square-right-to-protest-removed.html - outlining the £15m programme of redevelopment planned. She said that unusually but not accidentally the document was only produced to opposition councillors on the morning of a debate held in the city chambers on the issue.  Council documents are usually given two or three days before a debate giving opposition councillors time to go through the details; there was clearly an attempt to thwart opposition to the proposal. One woman named and shamed the wealthy individuals who stand to gain out the redevelopment with contracts. A general consensus was reached; action must be taken and taken quickly!

As for what to do next there were calls for door to door leafleting, letter writing to newspapers, the use of electronic petitions and direct action to raise awareness about, embarrass and expose the council’s plans.

An organising meeting will be held on Tuesday 30 October (details below) with the aim of agreeing concrete plans and dates for action. The GDC is committed to organising against any attacks on our democratic rights and the privatisation of public space in Glasgow. We will work with anyone who shares these aims, and will work to build effective unity and opposition on the ground.

Hands off George Square!

Defend the right to protest!

Oppose the cuts!

Solidarity with the peoples fighting back in Europe and around the world!

Hands off George Square: action meeting

Tuesday 30 October, 7.30 – 9.30pm

Downstairs at Bar Bacchus, 80 Glassford Street, Glasgow city centre

All welcome – bring ideas for protest, performance, publicity, petitions and anything else!

George Square: the right to protest removed

•          GCC and Strathclyde police plan to ban rallies from gathering in George Square
• ·        New plans for legislation intended to stamp out ‘unauthorised processions’  
• ·        Public meeting called in response  

Glasgow City Council (GCC), controlled by the Labour Party, has recently announced plans to undertake a multimillion pound ‘redevelopment’ of George Square.

As part of this plan, major restrictions up to an outright ban on assemblies outside the city chambers are to be imposed. It is not only statues but the very right to protest that is being removed. Under the cover of a sham ‘public consultation’, a fundamental attack on democratic rights in Glasgow has been forced through.

George Square is the principle public space in the social history of Glasgow. Site of the City Chambers, it has been the focal point of a range of political protests for over a century. It was here in the midst of the First World War that John MacLean spoke out against capitalism and war, where rallies in support of the rent strikes were held and the site of the infamous Battle of George Square in January 1919, when police violently charged workers demanding a shorter working day and the British government sent in army tanks amidst fear of revolution. In more recent times, the square has been a rallying point for demonstrations against apartheid South Africa and the poll tax in the 1980s, against the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and seen protests in support of Irish political prisoners of the British occupation in Ireland.

The council’s bogus ‘public consultation’ saw a stakeholder consultation document distributed to various business groups and campaign organisations. This document proposes amongst other things that George Square no longer be used as a gathering or departure point for the demonstrations that have marked its history. It further proposes that the council enter into negotiations with the Scottish government in order to give local authorities and the police even more statutory powers relating to what it terms ‘unauthorised processions’.

This call for further legislation comes despite wide ranging and far reaching powers to restrict and control protests already in place through the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and the amendments made to that act by the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006, along with various powers under the Public Order Act 1936 and 1986 and the Terrorism Act 2000.

A copy of this consultation document obtained by the GDC is available here online for the first time.

The ‘redevelopment’ plans come against a backdrop of Glasgow preparing to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which laid the basis for the closure of the Accord day care centre in Dalmarnock and the forceful eviction of the Jaconelli family from their home, as well as putting the final nail of the coffin of Paddy’s Market. The cabal of business leaders, developers and corrupt councillors which run this city are determined that public space be cleansed of any inconveniences such as politics and working class life. ‘Scotland with style’ – for private business and tourism. The right to shop but nothing else.

Further, these attacks cannot be separated from the issue of divisive sectarian Orange marches and the dirty deal done by the Labour council with the Orange Order. In May 2012, The Herald reported how Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, was greeted with applause when he told a pre-election hustings of around 100 members of the Orange Order that he would ‘hold his hands up’ and admit the approach to reducing marches in the city was wrong and would be reviewed after his re-election. The most recent consultation published here by the GDC shows how the council, along with the police, attempt to equate genuine protest marches such as trade union and refugee demonstrations with the sectarian and supremacist marches held by the Orange Order. The consultation goes so far as to describe the conduct of the racist Scottish Defence League in approving terms. The consultation is clear: the problem is not dozens of sectarian or racist assemblies but rather what it terms the emerging trend of ‘unauthorised processions’ being organised via social media.

Gordon Matheson has said that he wants ‘to give the people of Glasgow the Square they deserve.’ The Labour council has repeatedly shown what it thinks the people of Glasgow deserve: privatisation of services, poverty, cuts and corruption. No wonder our dear leader wants protest banished from outside the gilded halls were such decisions are made! From Tahrir Square in Cairo to Puerta del Sol in Madrid, the people are claiming the squares back from themselves.

Just over a year ago, in our first anniversary statement the GDC concluded:

‘The Glasgow Defence Campaign states its commitment to the argument that the defence of democratic rights is the defence of the working class. We define that working class as workers in jobs and the unemployed, youth in revolt on the streets, the disabled and poor, immigrants and asylum seekers – all those who the rich are trying to make pay for an economic crisis not of their making.’

This remains the case today. We state that these plans are a dangerous attack on our fundamental democratic rights. It is the latest stage in the escalating repression in Glasgow which the GDC has documented since its formation. Interference by the state in legitimate, legal and necessary protest and organisation must be challenged. Unity and solidarity must be built, urgently and on the ground, in the struggle to defend democratic rights in the fight for real justice.

To this end, the Glasgow Defence Campaign is calling on all progressive forces in the city to oppose this latest attack and is organising an open meeting for all to attend and contribute to:

Hands Off George Square: defending democratic rights

Thursday 18 October, 7.30 – 9.30pm

Upstairs at The Piper bar, 57 Cochrane Street 

(just off George Square)

Speakers from the Glasgow Defence Campaign plus a speaker from Spain on the squares movement in Europe.

All welcome.

Consultation document published below

New article on recent operations by Strathclyde Police

The Glasgow Defence Campaign has received an article from a supporter which includes important details and footage of the recent operations carried out by Strathclyde Police in defence of street fascists and the Prime Minister D.Cameron

We urge all supporters of democratic rights to have a look at this link and send on any details which are of importance and have not appeared on the GDC blog so far.

http://www.2ndcouncilhouse.co.uk/blog/2012/08/01/glasgows-total-policing/