Expert group to consider Northern Ireland-style Parades Commission in Scotland

A new expert group is to consider whether Scotland should introduce a Northern Ireland-style Parades Commission following tensions around sectarianism.

The Scottish Government said the group would bring together experts on marches, human rights, community engagement and mediation.

Nicola Sturgeon pledged to look into the issue after arrests during Orange walks in September last year, with police condemning "outbreaks of racist and sectarian singing”.

Marchers in Glasgow. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

The First Minister said there was "no place" for anti-Catholic bigotry in modern Scotland.

Members of the new group will consider whether other models used to regulate marches and parades, including the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland, can be adapted and applied to Scotland.

A report of its initial findings will be provided in the summer.

The group will be chaired by Professor Dominic Bryan of Queens University Belfast, who was involved in the development of the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland.

Dr Michael Hamilton, associate professor in public protest law at the University of East Anglia, will also be involved.

The other members are Lorraine Gillies, chief executive of the Scottish Community Safety Network, and Graeme Boyack, director of Scottish Mediation.

Northern Ireland's Parades Commission was established in 1998 following violence and protests associated with parades in the town of Portadown, known as the Drumcree conflict.

It is an independent public body with seven members and is responsible for placing restrictions on any parades.

Justice secretary Keith Brown said: “The right to peacefully march and parade is fundamental to all democracies, but the right to march must be balanced with the rights of communities to go about their business undisturbed.

“We are determined to achieve that balance and are open to considering all options which will help to ensure that such a balance is struck.

“The findings of the expert working group will help us as we make progress on this important issue.”

Prof Bryan said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to review marches and parades in Scotland and the mechanisms that balance the rights of marchers and the communities impacted by marches.”

Ms Sturgeon previously stressed “peaceful public assembly and freedom of expression are fundamentally important rights”.

She said: "But it is also a fundamental right of any person and any community to go about their daily business without fears for their safety.”