A PETITION calling on Glasgow City Council to end the main Orange walk that marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne has received tens of thousands of signatures in just a few days.

At the time of writing, almost 63,000 people had signed the petition asking the local council to act after claims a Catholic Church priest was spat on and attacked with a pole during a recent event.

Canon Tom White says he was spat on twice outside St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon.

He told BBC Radio Scotland that he was also subjected to insults such as "Fenian scum" and "paedophile".

The petition, started by Joe McCauley, states: "Now, is the time to have a real debate on how we can stop this outdated and repressive display.

"Glasgow City Council must act to stop these marches. They have a long history of spreading anxiety and fear amongst everyday Glaswegians.

"There is no room in our society for this type of bigotry and division."

The petition, which can be found here, is aiming to reach 75,000 supporters before it will be delivered to the Processions Committee on Glasgow City Council.

Following the alleged attack, a spokesman for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland said: "We have been made aware of an incident outside of St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow late on Saturday afternoon whilst an Orange parade was passing by.

"We understand that abusive comments were directed at a local priest from a group of young men who were not part of the parade. We can confirm that no members of the parade were involved in this or any of the reported incidents."