Glasgow - No Mean City
Last week's violent incident at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow has produced lots of sensationalised news coverage some of which seems hell bent on finding someone to blame, other than the knife-wielding attacker himself.
But a report in the Daily Record contains the following quote from one of the asylum seekers who has a very different take on things.
“The hotel was very nice. It’s a good standard hotel and lovely inside. You get fed and the staff could not do more for you. One of the receptionists would say, ‘Happy days’ when he saw you to cheer you up. The staff were kind and always smiling.
“Scotland is a very nice country. The people are so friendly. You go to have a drink in a bar and you make friends instantly."
Read the full article via the link to the Daily Record below.
Glasgow - Actions Speak Louder Than Words (28/06/20)
Here's a heartfelt and dignified statement from Constable David Whyte who nearly lost his life in responding to the recent violent incident in Glasgow city centre.
Yet, just days earlier an admittedly small number of fellow Glaswegians were promoting the ugly, anarchist message that 'All Cops Are Bastards'.
Shameful nonsense, of course, as Constable Whyte and his police colleagues demonstrated on Friday afternoon.
Pains in the Ass (21/06/20)
A group of supporters from the Green Brigade, many not wearing face coverings, are escorted away from Glasgow's George Square chanting 'All Cops Are Bastards'.
I spoke to a number of police officers yesterday when I visited George Square to pass on my remaining Equal Pay medals and found them all to be very helpful.
Whereas these self-styled football 'ultras' are always just a righteous pain in the ass.
All Anarchists Are Bastards 2 (11/06/20)
The Glasgow Times reports that the 'looney tune' team behind ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards) have extended their activities to other memorials in the city.
Now this has nothing directly to do with anti-racist campaigns or Black Lives Matter - it's just a group of self-righteous pricks trying to hijack an important issue by spray painting a juvenile message of 'Fuck the Polis'.
https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18506614.teams-rapid-removal-graffiti/
Teams in rapid removal of graffiti from Glasgow statues after BLM protests
By Stewart Paterson - Glasgow Times
Lord Roberts statue
Council teams have been cleaning up graffiti from statues after several across the city were targeted following anti racism protests in Glasgow.
Statues in George Square, Cathedral Square and Kelvingrove park were vandalised with slogans spray painted onto plinths
Three statues in Kelvingrove park were targeted.
Glasgow City Council said it was aware of the strong feelings towards links to slavery of certain individuals who have statues but cannot condone the vandalism of public monuments.
The bust of Thomas Carlyle at the bridge over the River Kelvin was sprayed.
Yards away on the opposite bank of the river, the memorial to the Highland Light Infantry was sprayed with BLM and an offensive anti police slogan.
At the top of the park at the Park Circus entrance the statue of Lord Roberts, who had led military in South Africa and India, was also sprayed with BLM.
In Cathedral Square the statue of King William III was also targeted with anti-police graffiti.
In George Square the statue of Robert Peel was daubed with paint and slogans.
The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland condemned the vandalism and issued a statement along with a photograph of the damage to the King William Statue.
It said: “The Orange Order are rightly proud of the civil and religious liberties delivered by King William III that our citizens enjoy today.
“However civil rights and liberty come with a responsibility to act lawfully and uphold government medical advice not to gather publicly in order to protect lives.
“We call on the Leader of Glasgow City Council and the First Minister to condemn these offensive acts and provide Police Scotland with the necessary resource to protect our public memorials.”
The council condemned the vandalism and said work had already been started to look into how the city’s history with slavery is represented.
Council teams worked quickly on Sunday and Monday to remove the paint and return the statues to normal.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The graffiti that appeared on statues in George Square, Kelvingrove Park and other places over the weekend has been removed or is in the course of being removed.
“We are acutely aware of the strength of feeling that exists over Glasgow’s links to trans-Atlantic slavery and the determination many have for change in how the city’s history should be regarded.
“We have commissioned an in-depth academic study on the city’s links to the historical slave trade and how that has shaped the streets, statues and buildings of modern Glasgow.
“The findings of this study will be put forward for consultation and the public’s voice will be heard on how the city should respond.
“We cannot condone damage to public property and our community safety teams will link with police on how further damage can be avoided, including through the use of CCTV.”
All Anarchists Are Bastards (09/06/20)
Here's a message from a group which operates under the acronym of ACAB - All Cops Are Bastards.
ACAB would have us believe that policing is fundamentally violent, corrupt, oppressive and beyond reform - and their poster ends with the announcement that the police are the 'enemy of the people'.
Now I have my criticisms of Police Scotland, but this seems a tad 'over the top' to me so I'm going to start up my own rival group which I plan to call AAAB (All Anarchists Are Bastards).
In the meantime, I would like Glasgow City Council to remove this juvenile street graffiti and chuck it in the bin - because it's definitely not worth preserving.
