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Council chiefs were right to re-route Loyalist groups in Scotland’s biggest city, according to a sheriff.

Sheriff Stuart Reid has revealed his reasons for refusing an appeal by Loyalist groups against Glasgow City Council’s decision to change the routes of marches to avoid Catholic churches.

He backed the council decision to alter the route of an Apprentice Boys of Derry, Bridgeton, march on June 1 after Police Scotland raised concerns about the marches and counter-protests.

Three other associations – Apprentice Boys of Derry Dalmarnock No Surrender Branch Club; Dalmarnock Orange and Purple District 50; and Orange and Purple District 37 - were also planning to hold separate processions along broadly similar routes to the Apprentice Boys of Derry, Bridgeton, on the same weekend.

The original routes included St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Abercromby street and the council wanted the marches re-routed away from there.

Canon Thomas White, was spat on outside during a similar march in July 2018 outside St Alphonsus on London Road.

The man responsible, Bradley Wallace from Uddingston, was jailed for ten months. Another parade that passed the church in May this year saw chants of “Fenian b******s” and “paedo” emerging from the supporters of the group.

(Image: Daily Record)

In his newly released written judgement, Sheriff Reid said that, based on the submission by Police Scotland, the Glasgow City Council “reasonably concluded” that the route of the march past the churches “would have the likely effect of causing disruption of the life of the community, due to an apprehended risk of violent criminality or disorder aggravated by religious prejudice”.

The sheriff said “the burden on police resources to keep the peace on that original route was excessive, based on the information, events and intelligence referred to in the chief constable’s submission”.

He added: “The spitting on a priest, shouts of ‘Fenian b******s’, all occurring on the steps of a Catholic church, is serious criminality aggravated by religious prejudice which, viewed in context, can properly be considered to be divisive of social cohesion and community harmony.

“Accordingly, in my judgment, in issuing its order to re-route the pursuer’s march, the defender [Glasgow City Council] did not fall into error, it did not exercise its discretion in an unreasonable manner, and it did not otherwise act beyond its powers.

“For these reasons, I dismissed the application.”

Four Loyalist groups launched a court battle in an attempt to overturn the council’s decision, citing Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights - which is the right to freedom of assembly and association as detailed in the European Convention on Human Rights.

In May, the sheriff dismissed the appeals, ruling that the council’s reasons were “reasonable and rational, with a sufficient factual foundation”.