Orange march won't go past church where priest was spat on

Loyalist have failed to overturn a council ban preventing them marching past a Catholic church where a priest was spat on last year.

Four Orange Order groups lodged an appeal at Glasgow Sheriff Court against Glasgow City Council's decision to prevent them walking past St Alphonsus church.

Canon Tom White was spat on by a loyalist marcher outside his church last year.

Orange Order lawyer, Neil MacDougall claimed that the council's decision was a breach of the European Court of Human Rights.

Sheriff Stuart Reid awarded in favour of the council in the hearing which lasted over two hours.

He said: “This was a difficult and anxious point.

“I am satisfied that the council has the statutory power imposed to re-route public processions.

“The right to freedom of expression is not an unrestricted right on particular grounds.”

Mr MacDougall said: “All they are seeking to do is exercise their rights to walk where they have walked for the last 15 to 20 years with largely no incidents.

“They gave their notifications in January and March this year and there was no issues until May 18.”

The court heard a separate loyalist band verbally abused protesters outside St Alphonus on Saturday, May 18.

The council’s lawyer Douglas Armstrong QC told the court the council then had concerns about future marches.

He said the council believe if the march went past the church 100 police officers would be required.

Speaking of the march, Mr Armstrong said: “There could be relevant reasons if if it was going to a memorial or a building of significance to the people on the procession."

“If you think back to the transitions in the nineties protesters going past the South African embassy in Trafalgar Square, London, so there was significance in that route.”

The loyalist group have been ordered to pay the council’s legal fees.

The march will go ahead on Saturday but will be re-routed away from the church.

Canon Tom White was spat on by a loyalist marcher outside his church last year.

Bradley Wallace, 24, Uddingston, was jailed for 10 months after he pled guilty to the offence.