A Criticism of Police Action as Rangers Fans Celebrate.
Date: 16.5.2021
(1) After the last game of the season, and a record-breaking 102 points, fans of Glasgow Rangers celebrated at Ibrox, then walked into George Square to continue celebrating in the city centre. Scenes of fighting and general thuggery have appeared on social media.
(2) This blog will not cover the behaviour of the Rangers fans but will instead criticise the actions of the police and Scottish Government. Please note that the Fair Trial Project is 100% against violence.
(3) The public are banned from the court buildings due to Covid-19. This means that no one can get a fair trial as this requires the courts to be open to the public. See: https://fairtrialproject.org/open-justice/ for full details. There are many other reasons as to why no one can get a fair trial. See our campaign page: https://fairtrialproject.org/fair-trial-campaigns/
(4) Whenever the police arrest someone they have to bring them in front of a judge for a hearing on the arrest and other matters like bail conditions. The hearing must be in public and the judge must be independent and impartial. As these requirements cannot be met, this makes any arrest unlawful. The police cannot hold someone without being able to bring them in front of an independent and impartial judge at a public hearing.
(5) Without public courts the police have no lawful authority to do anything. They had no authority to form mass lines and stop people crossing the squinty bridge, surround people in George Square, fine people or take alcohol from them or make arrests.
(6) The Fair Trial Project asks who were the thugs on our streets yesterday? Who is holding the police to account? In the absence of anyone else, the Fair Trial Project will try to do this.
(7) Complaints will be made about the unlawful actions of the police and published here. Please contact the Fair Trial Project if you are interested in joining in with the making of these complaints (info@fairtrialproject.org).