St Enoch Centre speaks out after protest in Glasgow

Trouble flared after hundreds of people gathered on Buchanan Street at around 7pm on Tuesday in response to a stabbing attack in Belfast.

Many demonstrators, including masked men, carried anti-immigration placards and banners with slogans such as “Scotland for the Scottish”.

Police blocking Jamaica Street in Glasgow city centre (Image: Glasgow Times reporter)

Three men, aged 31, 18 and 18, have since been arrested and charged in connection with various offences.

A senior Police Scotland officer said members of the public were attacked “because of the colour of their skin”, and that officers were also targeted.

The Glasgow Times understands the organised protest at the Royal Concert Hall steps ended at around 7.30pm, with one speaker thanking the crowd and warning it would become a “regular occurrence”.

As the gathering broke up, police were called to a series of incidents across the city centre.

Video captured by our reporters shows officers sealing off the bridge between Bridge Street and Jamaica Street, while Glasgow City Council’s roads team warned drivers to avoid Midland Street near the River Clyde due to an emergency incident.

Further footage shows Jamaica Street filled with police vehicles, with officers seen running towards Argyle Street and Union Street, and a crowd dispersal operation on Buchanan Street as officers closed the main thoroughfare.

Police dispersing people on Glasgow's Buchanan Street (Image: Glasgow Times reporter)

A spokesperson for St Enoch Centre said: "Our security team assisted a number of individuals who entered the centre while Police Scotland managed protest activity in the city centre."

Elsewhere, worshippers were locked inside Glasgow Central Mosque as masked marchers moved through nearby streets, prompting Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to condemn a night of “disorder, violence and racism” on Scotland’s streets.

Police officers at Glasgow Central Mosque (Image: Glasgow Times reporter)

Police Scotland later issued a statement strongly criticising the behaviour of those involved and confirming that three men had been arrested and charged in Glasgow.

Two officers and three members of the public were injured.

Demonstrations also took place in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Perth, Ayr and Paisley, where no arrests were made.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said officers responded to “disorder and violence, including incidents in Glasgow where members of the public were attacked because of the colour of their skin”, stressing there is “no place for racism and violence in Scotland”.

He added that a policing plan remains in place, with the ability to deploy specialist resources if required.

Political leaders, including First Minister John Swinney, condemned the scenes in Glasgow and elsewhere, insisting Scotland must remain a welcoming nation and warning that racism, hatred and intimidation “have no place” here.