A CITY MSP has called for orange marches to be banned by the hate crime act, claiming they "stir up hatred" against the Catholic community. 

John Mason, SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, posted a video on his Twitter sharing his thoughts following the marches at the weekend. He said: "I went along to watch and see what was happening. A number of people spoke to me, some people supporting the march and one of them called me a bigot and then other people very much against the march, people from an Irish or Catholic background who feel very much that these marches are targeted at them and trying to make them feel like second class citizens.

"We have a law in Scotland, we've had it for many years. It's been updated recently in the hate crime act that stirring up hatred is an offence. 

"I just wonder if these marches could be included in that. Some people have asked what is the purpose of an orange march. Is it to stir up hatred against the catholic community? I think there's a strong argument to say that it is. But we would probably need a court ruling to decide that absolutely definitely. I will seek to keep raising this in the Scottish Parliament."

READ MORE: Glasgow councillor Ruairi Kelly calls for orange marches to be banned

"It's one thing for a protest to be against racism, or against water privatisation or against the war in Iraq but if the purpose of that march is against a group of people in our society there's something very wrong with that."

Mr Mason is not the first from his party to condemn the marches. We reported yesterday that Glasgow Councillor Ruari Kelly called for the parades to be banned.

Councillor Kelly posted on social media: “There should be no anti-Catholic marches in Scotland and I would be delighted if we had the legislative power to ban them.”