Bigots, Thugs and Bullies
The Sunday Herald carried this report about the deliberate and organised violence in Glasgow's George Square as the referendum campaign drew to a close.
These people are thugs and bullies of course, religious bigots whose triumphalist behaviour is a blight on the city of Glasgow and not in any way representative of modern Scotland where people's religion is largely a private matter rather than something to be paraded or used to cause division or offence.
So I hope when these thugs come before the courts that they will face the full force of the law and if any of them turn out to be Rangers 'fans', I hope that the club will ban them from the ground because they are the kind of people who will only bring the club into disrepute.
George Square Trouble: The night our readers became reporters
You are the reporters, Sunday Herald readers. Throughout the weekend, your tweets, retweets, Facebook posts, YouTube videos and emails were invaluable to us trying to piece together what was happening throughout Glasgow as loyalist trouble flared in George Square.
We had three reporting staff in the square, along with two photographers. After we began posting live images of loyalists giving Nazi salutes and taunting and jeering a much smaller and more peaceful group of Yes supporters, you more or less took over. You sent our images around the country, and you emailed our news desk and reporters with information on where loyalist gangs were moving in the city and what they were doing.
You sent us images and footage of them fighting, terrorising ordinary people and spreading disorder in a city which until Friday night had been a carnival of fun and hope, not a carnival of hate.
Where throughout the week students, office staff on their lunch breaks, and families had sung Caledonia and Labi Siffri's Something Inside So Strong in George Square, by Friday night the songs had become chants - including "You had your chance and you f***** it up" - screamed with menace and hate, and interposed with singing of Rule Britannia. The heart of Glasgow had gone from Woodstock to Belfast in the space of just one day.
And you told us what you thought of this. This was the dark face of Unionism, you said again and again in messages on social media. This was Scotland's shame. This disgusted and repelled you. You - the 45% - responded to our requests for information by liaising with each other online and getting the information to us when you could.
And then you decided to act not just as reporters but as investigative reporters. We had heard that the loyalist violence was being co-ordinated online by a hardline group with connections to Northern Ireland. So, we used social media to ask you to help us find out if this was true - there was too much chatter and activity online for any one news desk to check every lead - and you helped us.
The entire loyalist demonstration had indeed been orchestrated online, it turned out. You sent us the online poster headed "Scotland Said No" asking for demonstrators to come to the city centre at 6pm. The poster was circulated widely by Britain First, the far-right party set up by ex-BNP members, which has a strong following in Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland.
Then you sent us Facebook postings from ordinary Rangers fans, horrified at what their fellow fans were planning. One read: "I am a Rangers supporter. The Rangers pages have been drumming up support to riot at George Square all day. It's disgusting. I am ashamed of them."
Then you sent us the social media exchanges of various loyalists you had been monitoring online. One read: "Glasgow riots were crazy, absolutely brilliant buzz. Rule Britannia!"
Others talked of going out "slashing c**ts" and wanting "to go to George Square and stab a couple of pencilcases" (slang for students). Another read: "I stabbed a c**t n
I liked it". One post from a Rangers supporters' club called on members to gather at "17.00 on the street behind the Louden [Bar] and the Bristol Bar on Duke Street". It went on to give a "map route … to all cars", and instructed followers to go to "George Sq for a party".
You then identified to us a group of Rangers football fans called the "Vanguard Bears" as being the organisation most involved in the "aggro", as people dubbed the violence online. By Saturday morning, multiple sources were confirming that the Vanguard Bears were the main instigators.
Last year, Police Scotland said it had received complaints of a "death list" posted online by the Vanguard Bears of individuals its sees as being opposed to the club.
The Vanguard Bears, which has close links with loyalist groups in Belfast, posted an image showing journalists, politicians and people involved in football, including the face of late QC Paul McBride - a prominent Celtic supporter and friend of Neil Lennon.
The Progressive Unionist Party - a Northern Ireland political party affiliated with the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force - also met with the Vanguard Bears supporters group last year to discuss opposition to the independence referendum.
On Thursday, the day of the referendum, the Bears group posted an image of Britannia alongside images of Alex Salmond's head on a spike and the severed head of Nicola Sturgeon. Yesterday it posted a statement online reading: "Our voice is on the rise, we must by actions, not words or political soundbites, ensure our Union is defended."
As Friday night wore on into the early hours of Saturday, you, our readers, were even able to keep our reporting staff out on the streets informed about events at our offices. Two men started a fire by the generator which powers the offices of Sunday Herald, The Herald and the Evening Times. Soon you were tweeting images of the fire and asking if we were all OK. We were - though we were out of action until early yesterday afternoon because of the power outage caused by the fire. Police are now investigating.
You also retweeted the numerous threats and vile verbal attacks made to our members of staff in order to name and shame the loyalists trolling them online. Your support was much appreciated. On you went, overnight and into yesterday, thousands and thousands of tip-offs, leads, pictures, videos, screen grabs and support. You became an integral part of the newspaper.
During the independence campaign, we tried our very hardest to give you the voice in the media you wanted and no-one else was giving you, and you repaid us over the weekend by becoming our eyes and ears - and joining in and becoming a part of the voice of the Sunday Herald. And for that, we thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.
Religion and Politics (24 September 2014)
The gang of violent Unionists who feature in this report from the BBC were not, celebrating their links or shared values with fellow Scots, as some might think, but rather their desire and determination to remain separate and different, for sectarian religious reasons.
Because the mindset of these individuals is exactly the same as people who participate in the ugly Orange Walks which disfigure politics in Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland from time to time, as a small yet vociferous band of Protestants parade their religious differences and celebrate historical victories over Catholic armies from 300 years ago.
But these are exclusive not inclusive events, triumphalist and hostile, organised by and specifically for the Protestant community or at least those within the Protestant community who would react with horror at the thought of having a Catholic as a friend, business partner, wife or husband.
I suppose it's a bit like the Yankee 'victors' in the American Civil War having great parades and marches every year to celebrate their famous victories over the Confederate States - completely unthinkable to anyone with an modicum of sense or sensitivity, yet that's exactly what these Orange Parades are all about.
Scottish referendum: Police separate rival groups in Glasgow
Police have made six arrests after separating groups of rival Unionists and independence supporters in Glasgow.
Officers, some mounted on horses, lined up to divide a large number of people waving union jacks from a group of "Yes" supporters in George Square.
The trouble began when the Union supporters fired a flare and charged, but their numbers dwindled away later.
The square had hosted a pro-independence party ahead of Thursday's independence referendum.
BBC Scotland reporter Cameron Buttle, who was at the scene, said Friday evening's confrontation started quickly with flares being fired and a "co-ordinated" charge from the Unionist side, who were singing Rule Britannia.
Some of the pro-Union side were carrying banners featuring Loyalist imagery.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were about 100 people in each of the two groups, and although there had been some "minor disorder" it had been dealt with by officers.
She said investigations were under way, with officers conducting inquiries which could lead to further arrests.
There have been reports on social media of a "Yes" supporter being stabbed in George Square, but police said they had no record of any incident.
Reports that the disturbance had led to a fire at the Glasgow Herald offices were also inaccurate.
On the Sunday Herald's Twitter account, the newspaper said: "There WAS a fire outside our building but no evidence linking it to unionist thugs elsewhere in city."
Another Twitter user said the fire involved the electricity generator at the Flying Duck club where he works.
"No fire at Herald office. Nearby electrical fire. Unfortunate coincidence. No major damage," he wrote.
Officers, some mounted on horses, lined up to divide a large number of people waving union jacks from a group of "Yes" supporters in George Square.
The trouble began when the Union supporters fired a flare and charged, but their numbers dwindled away later.
The square had hosted a pro-independence party ahead of Thursday's independence referendum.
BBC Scotland reporter Cameron Buttle, who was at the scene, said Friday evening's confrontation started quickly with flares being fired and a "co-ordinated" charge from the Unionist side, who were singing Rule Britannia.
Some of the pro-Union side were carrying banners featuring Loyalist imagery.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were about 100 people in each of the two groups, and although there had been some "minor disorder" it had been dealt with by officers.
She said investigations were under way, with officers conducting inquiries which could lead to further arrests.
There have been reports on social media of a "Yes" supporter being stabbed in George Square, but police said they had no record of any incident.
Reports that the disturbance had led to a fire at the Glasgow Herald offices were also inaccurate.
On the Sunday Herald's Twitter account, the newspaper said: "There WAS a fire outside our building but no evidence linking it to unionist thugs elsewhere in city."
Another Twitter user said the fire involved the electricity generator at the Flying Duck club where he works.
"No fire at Herald office. Nearby electrical fire. Unfortunate coincidence. No major damage," he wrote.
Flares let off
George Square was closed on Friday night to traffic with local diversions in place.
A number of people draped in union jacks later left the area and began spreading on to the nearby streets, with many marching down St Vincent Place as police followed.
Roads around the square were closed as police dealt with the incident.
A large group of Union supporters later gathered in George Square again, this time at the top of the square next to Queen Street Station.
They sang Rule Britannia and a flare was let off.
Police formed a human barrier to block off the route to Buchanan Street - where scuffles also broke out - and contain people in the square.
After 21:00 the crowd scattered but smaller groups remained along with the line of police officers.
Mounted officers also remained at the scene.
George Square was closed on Friday night to traffic with local diversions in place.
A number of people draped in union jacks later left the area and began spreading on to the nearby streets, with many marching down St Vincent Place as police followed.
Roads around the square were closed as police dealt with the incident.
A large group of Union supporters later gathered in George Square again, this time at the top of the square next to Queen Street Station.
They sang Rule Britannia and a flare was let off.
Police formed a human barrier to block off the route to Buchanan Street - where scuffles also broke out - and contain people in the square.
After 21:00 the crowd scattered but smaller groups remained along with the line of police officers.
Mounted officers also remained at the scene.
Religious Bigots (7 August 2014)
I have no idea how many people were killed at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, but I'm sure it was a lot less than the 100,000 or so Scots who lost their lives in World War I.
One hundred years later the various Europeans countries who lost so many of their citizens during that terrible conflict came together to remember the fallen on both sides of the conflict and pay tribute to the war dead.
As listened to the coverage of thee events on TV and read the often moving reports in the newspapers, I found myself thing about the Orange Order parades in Glasgow which celebrate a great 'victory' of one side over the other, in a tribal atmosphere of triumphalism as opposed to peace and reconciliation.
I wonder what the reaction would be if Israel celebrated its military 'victory' over Gaza with a public parade through the streets to which only Zionist Jews were invited?
Yet that's exactly what the Orange Order parades in Scotland and Northern Ireland are all about - exclusive events which are organised by and for bigoted elements within the Protestant community, and which are anti-Catholic by their very nature.
The whole nasty business makes about as much sense as the northern states celebrating their victory over the southern states during the American Civil War, by publicly rubbing the losers' noses in their historic defeat once a year.
So if you ask me it's time to start challenging these religious bigots because their behaviour is an embarrassment in 21st century Scotland.
French and German presidents mark 100 years since start of first world war
François Hollande and Joachim Gauck embrace at monument in Alsace where remains of 12,000 soldiers are interred
By Anne Penketh - The Guardian
Joachim Gauck and François Hollande embrace at Hartmannswillerkopf, which saw heavy first world war fighting. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
On a high ridge in the Vosges mountains, where 30,000 German and French soldiers died in the first world war trenches, the presidents of France and Germany stood side by side in a silence, then turned to each other for a long hug.
The image of reconciliation, in the crypt where the unidentified remains of 12,000 of both countries' soldiers are interred, came at the start of carefully choreographed ceremonies on Sunday commemorating the 100th anniversary of Germany's declaration of war on France.
François Hollande and his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, went on to place a wreath at a monument to the fallen at Hartmannswillerkopf, now known as Le Vieil Armand, before laying the first stone of a future Franco-German exhibition centre.
It was the first time that a German president had visited the cemetery, where 1,256 French soldiers are buried. The summit, used to control communications in the valleys of Alsace, changed hands eight times in the twelve months following December 1914.
In their speeches paying tribute to the dead, both presidents sought to present France and Germany as an example to the world of peace and reconciliation, and to revive the European dream. Hollande used much of his 20-minute address to plead the case of a reformed EU, stressing that Europe"doesn't dilute nationhood". Recognising that the EU had been unprepared for crisis and that it had failed to bring prosperity to all its peoples, he called for "growth, jobs and solidarity".
France and Germany had made their voices heard in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, he said, urging a ceasefire in Gaza "to end the suffering of the civilian population".
On a more personal note, Hollande mentioned that both his grandfathers had fought in the first world war, although they had rarely discussed their wartime experiences. Gauck picked up the reference, noting that "our grandparents were fighting each other".
