Marching Orders
The BBC reports on a welcome outbreak of common sense at Glasgow City Council which has agreed to re-route an Orange Order march away from St Alphonsus' Church after a Catholic priest was attacked and spat upon last year.
Loyalist Easter march re-routed after 2018 priest attack
Image caption - St Alphonsus Church is close to the Barras market in the east end of Glasgow
A Loyalist parade on Easter Sunday has been re-routed as it would pass the spot where a Catholic priest was spat on last year.
Canon Tom White was assaulted outside St Alphonsus' Church in Glasgow's London Road during the annual Orange Order Boyne march last July.
Bradley Wallace, 24, from Uddingston, was convicted of the attack in January.
After considering the application, Glasgow City Council confirmed the Easter march would be re-routed.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry (Bridgeton) were due to pass St Alphonsus' Church as part of the route.
A Loyalist parade on Easter Sunday has been re-routed as it would pass the spot where a Catholic priest was spat on last year.
Canon Tom White was assaulted outside St Alphonsus' Church in Glasgow's London Road during the annual Orange Order Boyne march last July.
Bradley Wallace, 24, from Uddingston, was convicted of the attack in January.
After considering the application, Glasgow City Council confirmed the Easter march would be re-routed.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry (Bridgeton) were due to pass St Alphonsus' Church as part of the route.
Image copyrightARCHDIOCESE OF GLASGOWImage captionCanon Tom White was spat on by Bradley Wallace during the annual Boyne march in July 2018
Supt John McBride told the council's public processions committee the force had received highly graded intelligence that counter protests were planned.
As a result the force would have had to boost officer numbers from 20 to more than 100, as well as draft in mounted and public order officers.
A total of 81 submissions were made expressing concerns about the proposal, including one from an individual who expressed fears for their own safety.
The Apprentice Boys, who said they had used the route for 10 years without incident, asked for an afternoon meeting to arrange legal representation but their request was declined.
Supt John McBride told the council's public processions committee the force had received highly graded intelligence that counter protests were planned.
As a result the force would have had to boost officer numbers from 20 to more than 100, as well as draft in mounted and public order officers.
A total of 81 submissions were made expressing concerns about the proposal, including one from an individual who expressed fears for their own safety.
The Apprentice Boys, who said they had used the route for 10 years without incident, asked for an afternoon meeting to arrange legal representation but their request was declined.
Image copyright - GOOGLE Image caption - St Alphonsus Church is on London Road in the east end of Glasgow
The committee heard a similar march passed the church without incident in February but increased religious activity on Easter Sunday was a identified as a cause for concern.
A council spokesman said: "Members chose to re-route the procession after hearing serious concerns, raised by Police Scotland, about the potential for disorder due to protests and counter-protests from people opposing or supporting the event."
Orange marchers were forced to re-route last year's Remembrance Day parade away from a church in Glasgow's east end amid fears of violent clashes.
And last week the Catholic Church called for a planned Orange Order parade on 6 July to be re-routed as it would pass the spot where Canon White was spat on.
The Orange Order has applied for marchers to take part in 6 July parades across the city - with members from the Orange And Purple District 37, Orange And Purple District 40 and Rutherglen Orange And Purple District 20 groups due to pass St Alphonsus' Church as part of the route.
The committee heard a similar march passed the church without incident in February but increased religious activity on Easter Sunday was a identified as a cause for concern.
A council spokesman said: "Members chose to re-route the procession after hearing serious concerns, raised by Police Scotland, about the potential for disorder due to protests and counter-protests from people opposing or supporting the event."
Orange marchers were forced to re-route last year's Remembrance Day parade away from a church in Glasgow's east end amid fears of violent clashes.
And last week the Catholic Church called for a planned Orange Order parade on 6 July to be re-routed as it would pass the spot where Canon White was spat on.
The Orange Order has applied for marchers to take part in 6 July parades across the city - with members from the Orange And Purple District 37, Orange And Purple District 40 and Rutherglen Orange And Purple District 20 groups due to pass St Alphonsus' Church as part of the route.
Bridgeton Loyal Buffoon (01/02/19)
The Herald reports on the strange tale of a young man who identifies with a Glasgow group known as the 'Bridgeton Loyal'.
Now Bradley Wallace appears to have been so consumed by hate that he launched a cowardly and unprovoked attack on a priest, Father Thomas White who was simply minding his own business on Glasgow's London Road.
So wouldn't it be great if Bradley and/or his representative John Coogan were put on the spot and actually required to explain Bradley's ugly, violent behaviour - instead of just maintaining a sullen silence.
Because nowhere in The Herald's report can we read what this young man or the Bridgeton Loyal, for that matter, have to say for themselves.
But well done to the Police for catching Bradley Wallace and bringing the young moron to face justice.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17395812.thug-bradley-wallace-admits-spitting-at-glasgow-priest-tom-white-during-orange-walk/
Thug Bradley Wallace admits spitting at Glasgow priest Tom White during Orange Walk
By Ashlie McAnally- The Herald
Pictured: Bradley Wallace, left, and Father Thomas White.
A thug who spat on a priest as an orange walk marched past a church was caught by his DNA, a court heard.
Bradley Wallace, 24, assaulted Father Thomas White when he was unable to get back inside St Alphonsus Church on London Road, when hundreds of parishioners were leaving.
Read more: Orange Walk in Glasgow: Thousands sign petition to ban parade
Police took the vestment worn by Father White at the time for forensic analysis.
Weeks later a DNA ‘hit’ matching Wallace was found with the saliva found on the back of his vestment.
Officers then found Wallace’s Facebook page with pictures of him holding up an England flat with a union jack flag in the corner, with the words “Bridgeton Loyal” emblazoned on the front.
Wallace, from Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, pled guilty at GlasgowSheriff Court today to assaulting Father White on July 7, last year.
Sheriff Andrew Cubie told him “I want you to be under no illusion at all, spitting is disgusting and cowardly and this was done in the context of a sectarian atmosphere which is an embarrassment to the West of Scotland.
Read more: SNP’s James Dornan calls on Glasgow City Council to ban Orange Walk
“You should be under no illusion all options are open to the court.”
Procurator fiscal depute Chris Farrell said on July 7, last year, was the annual Boyne Parade in Glasgow which had around 4,000 participants and attracted an equal amount of spectators.
Around 5pm the parade was on its return route having “splintered off into different factions” who took different routes through the city.
He said: “At this time one of the factions was walking along London Road towards its junction with Kent Street.
“They were flanked by a number of police officers who took position outside of St Alphonsus Church, due to it being a Catholic congregation.”
The court was told Father White had finished his Sunday mass and as is customary, was at the front entrance to say goodbye to his parishioners.
There were around 250 of them and while he stood on the pavement he could see the parade coming towards the church and tried to get back inside.
Mr Farrell added: “Due to the number of parishioners creating a bottleneck at the door he was unable to get back into the church.
“At this time the members of the public associating themselves with the parade began to sing sectarian songs and shout words Father White and the parishioners.
“This included terms such as ‘Fenian b*******’, ‘Fenian scum’, ‘beast’ and ‘paedophile’.”
A large scale disturbance broke out at the junction between the two streets which took police away from the church.
With no officers there, members of the public who had been associating themselves with the parade became more volatile towards the congregation.
It was heard that “a number of this group began to spit towards them” and Wallace, who was amongst the group, spat on Father White’s back.
A man holding a twirling baton began “prodding” this in the direction of Father White but did not touch him.
Read more: Orange Walk in Glasgow: Thousands sign petition to ban parade
Police then returned and were told of what had happened. Father White did not want to divert resources away from the parade and said he would give a statement later.
He later gave one and police took the vestments he wore that day which was sent away for forensic analysis.
Mr Farrell said on July 9, 2018, Shettleston Criminal investigation department was tasked with progressing enquiries including CCTV trawls and online enquiries.
He added “On July 23, they were informed of a DNA hit matching Wallace’s profile held on the police DNA database.
“The saliva was found on the back of Father White’s vestments.
“The police continued to carry out open source checks and identified a Facebook page belonging to Wallace.
“This depicted images of him holding up an England flag with a Union Jack flag in the corner with the words ‘Bridgeton Loyal’ emblazoned on the front, alongside other images pertaining to the ‘Bridgeton Loyal Band’.”
He was contacted by police and agreed to go to London Road in the following days where he made no reply to caution and charge.
Wallace, represented by John Coogan, had his bail continued by the sheriff and will be sentenced later this month.
