Council to hold emergency talks over future of Orange Walk after priest attack

COUNCIL chiefs are to hold crunch talks over the future of Orange Order marches after thousands of people reacted with fury to a sectarian attack on a priest. Glasgow City Council are to review procedures surrounding the parades after Canon Thomas White, 43, was spat on, verbally abused and threatened with a baton as the parade passed St Alphonsus Church in the Calton on Saturday. Worshippers were also targeted. A petition to ban the processions smashed its 15,000 signature target within hours yesterday, while the council also BY SALLY HIND s.hind@dailyrecord.co.uk received scores of complaints. The council said: “We utterly condemn this appalling behaviour and urge anyone with any information on the incident to contact the police.

“A meeting will be held this week as it’s perhaps time to review our procedures in light of a number of factors.

“We will also continue to liaise with police organisers, the Scottish Government, third parties and stakeholders as part of the council’s processions’ code of contact.

“Our aim is always to strike a reasonable balance between protecting the fundamental right of individuals and organisations to organise and participate in public processions and the need to minimise disruption to the wider community by protecting the rights of all of Glasgow’s citizens to go about their business without unnecessary disturbance and interference.”

The Scottish Government said they were determined to protect the public from such incidents.

But Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, claimed the Government continue “to be reticent about the deep-rooted, anti-Catholic problem of modern Scotland”. Last night, the Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland said they’d be contacting Canon White to express their sadness at what happened.

Jim McHarg claimed the abuse was carried out by a “small group of young men who turned up to watch” and that they are not welcome to Orange Walks. He added: “This sort of behaviour has no place in society.”

Police were continuing to hunt those responsible for the attack. Superintendent John McBride said: “The public can be assured we remain committed to ridding our country of hate crime.”