Police step up intimidation in Glasgow

Police harassment in Govanhill

The past few weeks have seen a noticeable increase in police surveillance of left-wing activism in Glasgow, with blatant attempts to close down meetings, seize newspapers and shut down street activity.

On Monday evening, an initial meeting was held by the Scottish Anti-Fascist Alliance to kick-start organising the opposition to the Scottish Defence League‘s proposed march in Glasgow on 18 September. The meeting was well attended and made several concrete steps  in organising a protest for the day. However, upon arriving at the venue – one of the main lecture buildings at Glasgow University – activists were confronted by at least four police officers. Many were uneasy about the police presence and until it became clear that police would not be inside the meeting itself, a large group remained outside the building. Meanwhile, however, two officers had ventured upstairs to the room, booked through a sympathetic student society, and started to question those already there about their motives, remaining in the room for around 10 minutes. Others were prevented from going to the room, with allegations made on the night that police had informed several people that the meeting was ‘cancelled’. A complaint has already been submitted to Chief Constable Stephen House regarding the police behaviour on the night, from a local MSP who was in attendance at the meeting.

This all sets a dangerous precedent. Last year, it was through a number of well attended meetings at Glasgow Uni that the mass opposition to the SDL was initiated. This strategy then set the blueprint for opposing the SDL when they emerged elsewhere in Scotland. All these meetings were able to go ahead with no interference from the authorities; it seems, however, that times have changed and the police are now keen to keep closer tabs on independent anti-fascist activity in Glasgow. It also poses the question of how the police will act on 18 September itself, especially when we consider their actions in Kilmarnock in going out of their way to facilitate an effectively illegal demonstration by the SDL.

Monday cannot be seen in isolation, however. It comes at the same time as disturbing developments on the southside of the city, where police are stepping up attacks on the rights of left-wing groups to sell newspapers and hold street activity. Over recent weeks, members of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! have now on several occasions had dozens of copies of their newspaper seized by police, who claim to be enforcing legislation to regulate street trading. This neglects the fact that the Civic Government Scotland Act is clear that newspapers are an exception to this rule, and do not require a license to sell . FRFI members report that to get around this, police are arguing that their newspaper is in fact… not a newspaper, despite it being registered at the Post Office as exactly that! As a result, three FRFI members have now been arrested and charged with breaking this law.

This is all happening in Govanhill, an incredibly diverse area of the city with several generations of immigrants living in the vicinity, including most recently an influx of eastern European migrants, many of Roma descent. Local residents report that there is a growing sense of underlying tension in the area, with accusations and rumour flying around of “Roma crime” with reports of bin-raking for identity theft, cars being vandalised and so on. Clearly this ignores the reality of the social problems in the area, and points to the classic tactics of divide and rule in a period of huge capitalist crisis. On top of the police attacks, loyalists in the area are becoming more active, with at least one attack by far-right thugs on a stall on Victoria Road.

Whatever one thinks of FRFI’s politics, it’s deeply worrying that a left-wing group doing consistent work in a working class area with its own set of social problems are coming in for sustained attack from so-called ‘community police officers’. It’s something that we’re likely to see more of over the next few years, as the state attempts to clamp down on any attempts to build working class resistance to their austerity package of swathing cuts and job losses. They’re targeting one group on the southside now, but any of us could be next, and we’ll need maximum solidarity from all progressive and left-wing forces to face off these blatant attacks on the democratic right to hold activity on our streets.

UPDATE (13-08-10) : in the past couple of days a new campaign has been launched, the Govanhill Defence Campaign, to oppose political policing in the area and present a united front against harassment and intimidation from the authorities. There’s more info and a launch statement on the campaign blog here: http://govanhilldefencecampaign.blogspot.com/