Free speech resumes in Glasgow

Thursday 7 March 2013

For almost two hours today, people spoke in Gordon Street, Glasgow using a megaphone. No one was arrested. Last week, when exactly the same public protest was being made  - about Atos, a sponsor of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games – two people were arrested after a heavy squad of police officers ‘kettled’ them.

‘We want the charges dropped,’ said Sean Clerkin, one of the speakers last week and today. ‘They were doing nothing wrong. They were simply speaking with a megaphone. I’ve lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Constable and understand it is being investigated.’

Today’s public gathering attracted a crowd which averaged between 40 and 50 people at any one time.

Said Paul McKenna, another speaker: ‘It is vital we defend our right of free speech.  We are calling for charges against the Anti-cuts activists – the Atos 2 – to be dropped. We’ll be outside the Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday 22 March to support them and let the public know what is happening.’

Body believed to be missing woman

Tuesday 5 March 2013

The body of a woman recovered from the River Clyde near Mavisbank Gardens in the city centre, is believed to be that of Yasmin McLaughlin the 46-year-old who has been missing from her Ruchill home since Friday 1 March.

A post mortem will take place to establish the exact cause of death. Strathclyde Police say there appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal. The body was recovered on Monday 4 March 2013 around 6pm.

Arrests at anti Atos rally

Friday 22 February 2013

Two people were arrested today at an anti-Atos rally in Gordon Street. Around 40 people had gathered to hear protests about the French company Atos being an official sponsor of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games when it is also responsible for screening people who are being re-assessed for benefits. Till now, all the regular fortnightly protests have been peaceful.

Strathclyde Police later confirmed that a man aged 22 and one aged 27 had been arrested in connection with alleged public order offences. They were released on an undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday 22 March.

Christmas on hold as man in red is up the pole!

A man in a red coat was up the pole today (Monday 10 December 2012) for nine hours.

He blockaded the entrance to the UKBA reporting centre in Brand Street, Govan. When he was eventually brought down from his tripod, he was arrested. One of his little helpers was also arrested – allegedly for not moving fast enough out of the police exclusion zone set up around the structure to extricate the man in red. The drama happened on International Human Rights Day.

The red robed man sat at the top of his tripod in front of the gates of the reporting centre where every asylum seeker has to sign in regularly. His action stopped vehicles getting in or out of the reporting centre all day and prevented the UKBA detaining anyone.

He said: “I’m taking this action to stop any more children from being detained by the UKBA – like the 4 year old boy Shahmer who, with his two teenage sisters and mum and dad was arrested in his home in Glasgow last week by the UKBA. I am shocked that children can be locked up in this way when the government pledged they would never do this again.”

Messages of support can be sent via Santa’s Solidarity Grotto :

c/o The UNITY Centre, 30 Ibrox Street, Glasgow, G51 1AQ. Tel. 0141 427 7992 Their website is: www.unitycentreglasgow.org and the email is: info@unitycentreglasgow.org

The UNITY Centre is run and funded entirely by volunteers. It supports asylum seekers who register before going into Brand Street and it records when they come back out again. If they don’t re-appear within a sensible time, the Unity Centre volunteers can then raise the alarm that another person has been ‘disappeared’ by UKBA.

Later,  Strathclyde Police said: ‘At around 06.45 hours, police were called to a report of a group of protesters blocking the entrance to the UKBA building, Brand Street, Govan. Police attended and two men – aged 26 and 28 – were arrested for alleged public order offences. The 26 year old has been detained in police custody. The 28 year old has since been released. Both will be subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.’

It is expected the two will appear in court tomorrow Tuesday 11 December.

A comment is awaited from UKBA.

Govan drugs bust

Drugs worth around £150,000 were seized by Strathclyde Police in Govan on Thursday. The early morning search uncovered cannibus cultivation in a property in Copland Road. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. A 45-year-old man has been detained.

 

Woman found dead in the river

The body of a woman was taken from the River Clyde near Napier Drive, Govan around 8.45am on Saturday 1 December 2012.  Emergency services attended, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene which is across from the Riverside Museum.  Strathclyde Police say a post mortem will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death. Till then, the death is treated as ‘unexplained.’

Funeral for firearm death policeman

by PA reporter

A funeral service to celebrate the life of Police Constable Rod Gellatly who died in a shooting incident on 5 November, was held at Linn Crematorium on 16 November 2012.

Friends, family and colleagues attended the Humanist memorial for the 41-year-old officer, who was killed when a firearm was discharged at Baird Street police office.  No-one else is believed to have been involved in the incident.

Tributes were led by Superintendent Gordon Barr of Strathclyde’s operational support division and Constable Dawn McMaster, a colleague of Constable Gellatly. Mourners also heard from Royal Navy Lieutenant Karl Harwood, a family friend.

With heads bowed, dozens of officers lined up on either side of the funeral cortege. Mr Gellatly’s coffin was draped with a blue Strathclyde Police flag and his hat sat on top alongside a wreath of red and white flowers.

A piper played Highland Cathedral as the congregation made its way into the crematorium.

Attended by Mr Gellatly’s  wife Fiona, 44, and other family members, the service included the Boys’ Brigade song ‘Will Your Anchor Hold?’ and a poem ‘Afterglow” by an unknown writer.

Officers from an independent force, Lothian and Borders Police, have been appointed to oversee an investigation into the circumstances of Mr Gellatly’s death. But before the funeral,  Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “It is too early to speculate about this tragic death and our thoughts are with his family, who have lost their loved one, and colleagues who have lost a friend.”

 

Suspicious fire in Albert Drive

Strathclyde Police are appealing for information and witnesses following a fire in Albert Drive, Pollokshields in the early hours of Monday 24 September 2012.

Around 2am on Monday morning, Police and Fire and Rescue services received a report of a fire in the first floor of a tenement in Albert Drive. Three men aged 32, 60 and 61 jumped from a window on the first floor. All three men were taken to Glasgow’s Victoria Infirmary where they were detained in a stable condition.

Three other people were evacuated from the building. A further six were evacuated from a nearby building as a precaution.

Officers are now treating the fire as suspicious and a joint investigation is underway. Because of the unsafe condition of the building, the investigating officers from both services have been unable to carry out thorough investigations.

Occupants of the building, including local businesses, have also been unable to return due to essential work required to make the building safe.

There are no descriptions of any suspects and officers are appealing for anyone who was in or around Albert Drive around 2am to contact them. They are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have seen someone hanging around or acting suspiciously or anyone running away from Albert Drive.

Anyone with any information should contact Gorbals Police Office on 0141 532 5374.  Alternatively they can contact CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 where they can remain anonymous.

Bank of England’s Glasgow office targetted by Citizens United

Citizens United has struck again. The group has protested, consistently for several years, about bad banking practices.  Today they  marched into the Glasgow offices of the Bank of England, and stood and delivered their message to the stunned staff for fully half an hour till police arrived and invited the protesters to leave. Which they did.

The peaceful demonstration was the 15th the group has engineered since October 2010. They called for bankers to be called to account and, with the current  ’libor’ scandal, insist the top bankers should be prosecuted.

‘We call them banksters, not bankers’ said spokesman Sean Clerkin. ‘They should be prosecuted. The libor rates fixing cartel is a disgrace. This has affected everyone in this country. Small businesses are paying more to borrow, householders are paying more for mortgages.  Ordinary workers are having to take cuts in rates or be paid off. All senior bankers  should be subjected to the law as we are. They should be charged with fraud. If found guilty, they should be sent to prison.’

A comment was requested from the Bank of England but at the time of putting this story on line, no one had responded. On following up the request, a recorded message at the Bank’s number  said all operators were busy and invited the caller to try again later.

Inspector Derek Forsyth of Strathclyde Police was the lead officer of eight who attended the demonstration. After the event he requested that Citizens United inform the police in advance of any future protests so that the appropriate number of officers could be deployed, saving police resources and time.

The group is the same one which confronted former Scottish Labour Party leader Ian Gray in Central Station to ask what he was going to do about bankers then,  in the run up to the Scottish Parliament elections.  In trying to avoid them he ran out of the station but was cornered by them in a sandwich shop.

 

 

Red carpet for the Film Office

What better way to celebrate 15 years of Glasgow Film Office (GFO) bringing stars of screen to the city than having the latest film which has used the place for locations, up for an award at Cannes Film Festival.

‘The Angels’ Share’ directed by Ken Loach, will know on Sunday 27 May whether it wins an accolade or not. It will have its UK premiere in Glasgow next week.

The producer, Rebecca O’Brien, said: ‘Ken Loach, Paul Laverty and I have made four films in Glasgow in the past 15 years and have had the support of the Glasgow Film Office on every one. They’ve been terrifically helpful and often made difficult things happen for us. So we salute the GFO on their 15th birthday and will raise a glass in celebration!’

Offering a free service to all types of productions from feature films to tv commercials, the GFO works closely with other council services, Strathclyde Police and the productions to make sure their activities have minimum impact on local residents and businesses while delivering maximum economic impact to the city.

Established in 1997, the GFO has attracted around £200 million worth of film business to Glasgow.

Last year was a vintage time when major productions World War Z, Cloud Atlas and Under The Skin alone, brought in £20.15 million with stars such as Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Scarlett Johansson working in town.

Other notable film which have used Glasgow for a backdrop included: Burnistoun, Gary: Tank Commander, Lip Service, My Name Is Joe, Rab C Nesbitt, Red Road, River City, Sony Bravia ‘Paint’ commercial, Still Game, Sweet Sixteen, Taggart,  The House of Mirth.

Gerard Butler was named GFO’s Ambassador in 2009 to help raise the city’s profile and demonstrate its capability as a production base. Around 50 organisations have now signed up to the Glasgow Film Partnership –  to promote Glasgow’s ‘film-friendly’ reputation – details at : http://www.glasgowfilm.com/filming_in_glasgow/film_partnership.asp.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: ‘Glasgow Film Office has been a tremendous success over the past 15 years, bringing more than £200 million to our economy. The list of familiar productions, shows how it has been an industry hub since 1997. We look forward to its continued success  in bringing many more productions here.’

Seeing Scotland on film or television was important in the decision of 1 in 5 visitors to come here.  With more than 530  locations in its database, the city can serve all types of companies.

Senior figures in the film industry – such as Jeremy Kleiner, the producer of World War Z – have praised the work of the GFO in facilitating the smooth running of their productions.

For more information on the Glasgow Film Office, see: www.glasgowfilm.com.

 

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