Gardens slaps ban on the Goth vandals

TEENAGERS sporting "Goth"-style fashions have been banned from Princes Street Gardens after they were seen breaking shrubs and kicking over litter bins.

Council officials, who branded the incident "intimidating", said they would seek a 12-month exclusion order if the youths returned to the famous landmark.

Dozens of the youngsters, who are traditionally associated with predominantly black clothes offset by pale make-up, have been forced to clear rubbish they spilt along the footpaths in the city centre park after a warden spotted the "trouble" last week.

And the group of children, between 12 and 18 years old, were warned to stay away or the police would be called. Now if anyone wearing the distinctive black clothes with white and black make-up are seen in the area they will be asked to leave.

But today city youth workers hit out at the "heavy-handed" action and said it "wasn’t fair" that all Goths were evicted from the gardens because a few had been unruly.

The Goths caused havoc in the Gardens after police moved them from their traditional gathering place on Cockburn Street during the afternoon last Thursday.

A city council recreation spokesman said it had "no choice" but to take the steps against the group following vandalism in the Gardens.

"They were both intimidating and destructive and made a huge mess.

"They broke the azaleas and were knocking over litter bins which was causing the rubbish to spill across the footpaths," he said.

"When people are behaving badly we ask them to leave. Their behaviour wasn’t complying with the park management rules, so they were told not to come back.

"It is irritating and disappointing that their behaviour spoils it for others.

"We have asked them not to come back and they are easily identifiable because they wear black clothes and make-up.

"If they return we will call the police and seek an exclusion order from the council’s executive which will ban them for 12 months."

Earlier this year Goths complained they were being victimised by shopkeepers in Cockburn Street.

Some children said they had been physically attacked by the shop owners while others claimed that buckets of cold water had been thrown over them.

Dot Horne, Edinburgh City Youth Cafe project co-ordinator, which houses Goths on a Friday afternoon during school term time, said only the perpetrators should be penalised.

"This seems heavy-handed. It isn’t fair that every Goth in the city is not allowed into the Gardens because of one group of people.

"Their behaviour was not acceptable but the majority of Goths are very nice.

"It is usually the sheer presence of them rather than their physical behaviour which is intimidating to people."

She added: "I think this action is rather extreme. If an adult, for example, had upturned a bucket then not all adults would be have been banned from the Gardens.

"They should find out who did this as this is extreme in a city which is meant to be child-friendly."

Steve Cardownie, leisure and recreation leader, said he had powers to expel troublemakers from Princes Street Gardens.

"They were acting in a very irresponsible manner and were deliberately overturning litter bins.

"This has been rectified with the Goths not being allowed back.

"I’m not castigating them but their behaviour was not acceptable in the Gardens."

A park warden superintendent patrols the Gardens during the day in a bid to protect tourists from vandals and thugs.

Daphne Sleigh, Tory social work spokeswoman, said she backed the council’s move to bar the "hooligans" from Princes Street Gardens.

"People are entitled to enjoy the Gardens without being intimidated by a group of tearaways.

"Youngsters need to know how to behave and that this is not acceptable conduct. It is a symptom of a lack of policing in the city. This example shows we need a bigger force."

A Lothian and Borders Police spokeswoman said: "The police acted appropriately at the time and will do so if there are similar incidents."