Humza Yousaf condemns 'thugs' for disorder at George Square statue protests

Scotland’s justice secretary has condemned the “thugs” who descended on Glasgow’s George Square at the weekend amid clashes over statues commemorating those with ties to slavery.

Police form a line at the protests in George Square in Glasgow. on Sunday. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Humza Yousaf said he was “completely appalled” by the “shameful” scenes, and said it was simply unacceptable that Police Scotland officers working at the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic were exposed to disorder and intimidation.

The city centre thoroughfare was temporarily locked down after hundreds of people staged a counter-protest against a planned demonstration demanding for the removal of memorials, including that of Sir Robert Peel, the 19th century Conservative statesman, whose father – also an MP – supported a petition against the Foreign Slave Trade Abolition Bill.

A group calling itself the Loyalist Defence League had urged its followers to attend Sunday’s event in order to “protect our monuments” and oppose the Black Lives Matter movement. Missiles were thrown as police officers, their batons drawn, moved to separate the groups.

Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Yousaf hit out at those intent on causing mayhem.

He said: “The individuals involved were thugs, there’s no getting away from that, and the scenes we saw in Glasgow on Sunday were in stark contrast to the scenes we saw the previous weekend with the Black Lives Matter protests.”

Sandra White, the SNP MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, raised concerns that despite the unrest, and direct violence and intimidation against journalists in attendance, no arrests had been made at the event.

She highlighted the case of Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, a Scots-Chinese photographer who was reportedly assaulted and racially abused, and claims he was told to leave the square by police.

Mr Yousaf said he was “deeply moved” by Mr Wan’s account of the incident yet “very ashamed” to live in a nation in which someone would have to endure such racist abuse.

He said that Police Scotland had “absolutely zero tolerance” for hate crime, and said that if Mr Wan was unhappy with the police’s handling of the incident, he could complain to the fore and if necessary, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Mr Yousaf also stressed that it would be a missed opportunity if the current focus on Scotland’s role in the slave trade, a dialogue sparked by the Black Lives Matter protests, did not result in greater education surronding the issue.

Under the existing curriculum, Scotland’s ties to he Atlantic slave trade form part of traching at National 4 and 5 levels but its critics argue that it does not go far enough pointing out that slavery persisted well after the abolition of the slave trade.

He explained: “I’ve had a conversation with the deputy first minister, and the Curriculum for Excellence does allow the opportunity for the slave trade and Scotland’s role in that to be taught in our schools.

“If there is something further that we can and should do in that regard, then certainly I know that the deputy first minister would be happy to actively explore that.

“What I would say is that for all the negatives - and there are many of them - that have been raised by the Black Lives Matter movement, one of the silver linings or opportunities is it has forces us as a nation to confront that past in a way that I don’t think we have, certainly in my lifetime.

“So I suppose the message would be: let’s not waste that opportunity, and make sure that we educate not just ourselves, but our future generations on the role that Scotland played in the slave trade.”

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