Protests across Scotland follow Belfast knife attack

Protests person taken spot successful respective locations crossed Scotland, arsenic upset flared successful Belfast pursuing a weapon attack.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered astatine locations successful Glasgow metropolis centre with their faces covered. Many were chanting, with Union flags and banners connected show.

Dozens of protesters besides demonstrated astatine St Andrew Square successful Edinburgh earlier marching on Princes Street shouting with bluish flares and saltires. About 100 besides staged a objection successful Ayr.

A ample fig of constabulary officers were deployed successful Glasgow and diverted the protesters distant from the metropolis centre. A fig of streets and bridges were besides closed.

The 30-year-old has besides been charged with possession of an nonfiction with leaf oregon constituent successful a nationalist spot and threats to kill.

The unfortunate of the onslaught suffered injuries to his eyes, backmost and face. Police described the alleged attacker arsenic a Sudanese man.

Protesters gathered successful Belfast pursuing the events, wherever bins person been acceptable alight and a autobus has been burnt out.

A fig of demonstrations past broke retired crossed Scotland and the remainder of the UK.

A BBC Scotland newsman astatine the country successful Glasgow described "clusters of antisocial behaviour" taking spot crossed the metropolis centre with astatine slightest 1 arrest.

He said: "We arrived astatine astir 19:30 to the car parkland astatine St Enoch's Centre and saw radical moving to safety.

"There were astir 300 protesters down them mostly wearing acheronian colours with balaclavas and look coverings.

"Behind them was a immense constabulary beingness that drove the radical retired of the metropolis centre crossed immoderate of the bridges astatine the Clyde.

"A fig of those bridges person been wholly sealed disconnected by the police. Union Street is besides covered with constabulary vans."

The Glasgow subdivision of Stand up to Racism said it condemned the "repugnant scenes emerging from a last-minute gathering by fascists and acold close thugs successful Glasgow metropolis centre".

In a societal media post, it said: "Masked-up racist thugs person assembled astatine Buchanan steps and marched down the street. The livestream by 1 of their supporters shows marchers stealing a motorcycle from a transportation operator and beating up passers-by.

"Glaswegians of each backgrounds and and of each faiths and nary volition basal unneurotic against immoderate attempts to dispersed unit and hatred successful our communities.

"Time and again we person shown the acold close a bulk of america cull their poison."