
Police ready for Glasgow protests when Donald Trump visits
Police said as yet they do not have any intelligence of large-scale protests being organised but officers from throughout the UK will be deployed across several locations.
READ NEXT:Irish republican march to go ahead in Glasgow next month
Assistant Chief Constable, Emma Bond is the Gold Commander for the policing operation.
(Image: Colin Mearns)
At this stage the police will be reacting to spontaneous protests.
She said: 'To some extent we are still waiting to see how the protests will manifest itself.
"We are aware, obviously, of events planned not related directly to the President's visit in Glasgow for example, on Saturday.
'But whenever we look back to 2018, we are very much aware there were people who came out to exercise their right to protest.
'Thousands of people came out across a range of different places.
"We saw that predominantly across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Ayrshire, so we are working on the basis, as the start of our planning, that we would expect to see protest in those areas.'
READ NEXT:All the latest changes to Glasgow city centre streets explained
Police Scotland said it would police protests proportionately and is centred on being positive and engaged with individuals and groups
She added, however: 'Let me be very clear that abusive, threatening behaviour, any activity that in any way seeks to disrupt an event or any activity that puts the safety of the public at risk is not lawful protest and there may well be consequences from a criminal justice perspective.
'It is a qualified right under Human Rights and not an absolute one and therefore there may need to be decisions taken but we will deal with every aspect of protest in the way that we do on any other day and make sure that is proportionate and seeks to balance the right to peaceful protest.'
Police said they always look to engage with any groups looking to protest ahead of events to ensure a 'no surprises' policing operation.
But so far, there hasn't been specific contact, either to or from any groups.
ACC Bond added there is nothing at this stage to give concern.
She added: "When large numbers of people gather together, there may be issues that arise. People come out and exercise their right to peaceful protest.
ACC Bond said Police Scotland will be 'upfront, honest and clear' about how it polices protest.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Ministers urged to explain plans to re-establish extraditions to Hong Kong
Ministers have been urged to explain plans which would once again allow Britain to extradite people to Hong Kong. The move could put at risk dissident Hongkongers who have fled to the UK to avoid recrimination by the Chinese government, a senior Conservative warned. Shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns urged the Government to ensure 'protections will be put in place to ensure no Hongkonger, CCP (Chinese Community Party) critic or anyone targeted by the CCP will be extradited under the new arrangement'. The UK's extradition treaty with Hong Kong was suspended by the then-Tory government after a new national security law was imposed on the territory by China in 2020. The treaty meant Hong Kong could request that someone living in the UK suspected of a crime at home could be handed over to face justice, and vice versa. Fears that the law could lead to human rights abuses were behind the UK's reasoning to put the agreement on ice. Ministers have now introduced a law change in the Commons which would tweak how Hong Kong is designated under the 2003 Extradition Act. The statutory instrument introduced in the Commons on July 17 would effectively re-establish an extradition route with Hong Kong, as well as Zimbabwe. It also changes how Chile is classified under the Act because the South American country has signed an international extradition treaty. In a letter to shadow home secretary Chris Philp seen by the PA news agency, security minister Dan Jarvis suggested the change was needed as no extradition to Hong Kong can currently be made 'even if there were strong operational grounds to do so'. Mr Jarvis added: 'The way to resolve this situation is to de-designate Hong Kong and Zimbabwe from the Act so that we can co-operate with them on the case-by-case ad hoc basis available for non-treaty partners. 'The safety and security of our citizens is our top priority. 'Ensuring that territories are correctly designated under the Act will ensure that the UK can accept extradition requests in a lawful and timely way to ensure the public is not put at risk.' Writing in response to Mr Jarvis, shadow minister Ms Kearns questioned why the Government had taken the step, as she said the situation in Hong Kong had 'worsened' in the years since the national security law was introduced. She pointed to the case of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old British national and proprietor of the Apple Daily newspaper, who is facing detention by the Chinese government, as well as other critics of Beijing. 'Has the Government assessed political freedom and the rule of law have been returned to Hong Kong, or have you decided these issues are no longer saleable alongside the 'reset' in relations between the UK and China?' Ms Kearns asked in her letter. In a post on social media, she added: 'I urge the Government to give urgent reassurances on how this system will be safely managed and what protections will be put in place to ensure no Hong Konger, CCP critic or anyone targeted by the CCP will be extradited under the new arrangement.' The Hong Kong national security law criminalises anything considered to be secessionist from China, and has led to a crackdown on critics of Beijing. Some 150,000 Hongkongers have moved to the UK under a special visa scheme launched in early 2021, after the law was introduced. Since coming to power, Labour has sought to reset relations with China with the aim of boosting trade, after the Conservatives took an increasingly hawkish attitude towards the country while they were in office. The Home Office, which is responsible for extradition law, has been contacted for comment.


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Howard-era Asio questioning powers ‘never intended to be permanent', Australia's human rights chief warns
The boss of Australia's human rights commission has questioned Labor's moves to make Asio's powers for compulsory questioning permanent, warning a planned expansion of the 9/11-era laws must include robust safeguards for individuals. The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, introduced two pieces of legislation this week designed to remove so-called sunset provisions on the domestic spy agencies' powers to compel cooperation. The rules act as effective expiry dates on the powers and require parliament to reconsider their reach on a regular basis. Labor will also add sabotage, promotion of communal violence, attacks on the defence system and serious threats to Australia's border security to the rules for compulsory questioning. Under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act, intelligence operatives have powers to issue a questioning warrant requiring a person as young as 14 to give information or produce items that may assist in a serious investigation. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Introduced after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, the powers have hardly been used since 2020, with just four warrants served on three people, in counter-terror and espionage cases. The human rights commissioner, Lorraine Finlay, said Asio should have the necessary powers to protect Australians, but that the current compulsory questioning powers are extraordinary in their intrusions on a number of fundamental human rights, 'and were never intended to be permanent'. 'The two bills introduced by the government propose to not only extend, and then repeal entirely, the existing sunset provision to make these compulsory questioning powers permanent, but also in some respects to expand the scope of the existing powers,' she said. Finlay said the commission would closely consider the proposed changes and engage with an inquiry expected to be run by parliament's joint committee on intelligence and security (PJCIS). She said any limitations on human rights must be necessary and proportionate, and come with 'robust safeguards'. The Greens justice spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said the laws should be considered by a transparent and open inquiry, not run by the PJCIS, which is dominated by Labor and the Coalition. 'Making permanent these oppressive Howard-era powers is already deeply troubling, but they are going even further and expanding when and how they can be used,' he said. 'History shows that once governments get these intrusive powers they never want to let them go, and that is exactly what we see here with the sunset provisions now being stripped out. 'Asio wants these powers and the major parties are falling over themselves to deliver them through a stitched-up secret parliamentary inquiry regardless of what the public thinks.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Shoebridge said parliamentary scrutiny of the plan must include public hearings. 'There are real questions about how these new powers could be used to target legitimate protesters and critics of the government, harsh immigration laws and the defence establishment.' The powers are scheduled to sunset on 7 September this year. They will be temporarily extended, for 18 months, to allow parliament to consider the wider bill, which would make the powers permanent. Introducing the changes to parliament this week, Burke said Asio should retain the powers 'to navigate an increasingly complex, challenging and changing security environment and deliver on its mission to protect the safety of Australia and Australians'. When the laws were first introduced, Howard government attorney general Daryl Williams described them as 'extraordinary' and 'a measure of last resort'.


Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Alex Salmond cleared of historic sex assault claim as police end probe after his death
Details of the allegations emerged after Mr Salmond died last October CASE CLOSED Alex Salmond cleared of historic sex assault claim as police end probe after his death Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALEX Salmond has been cleared over a historic sexual assault claim made against him. The late former first minister passed away aged 69 on October 12 last year while attending a conference in North Macedonia. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Police have dropped a probe after a sexual assault complaint was made against Alex Salmond Credit: Getty 2 The ex-first minister was cleared in March 2020 after facing 14 charges, mostly of alleged sexual assault Credit: Reuters Following his death, cops received a complaint of an alleged sexual assault. Last November, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault. The information is being assessed.' But following a probe, officers have said that "no further action will be taken". Mr Salmond became embroiled in claims of sexual assault, contributing to a fallout between him and Nicola Sturgeon. In January 2018, the Scottish Government received two internal complaints of alleged sexual misconduct against the former SNP leader. The claims dated back to his time as First Minister, from 2007 until 2014. The allegations led to an internal investigation and two months later, he was told of the complaints and the ongoing probe. In August that year, Mr Salmond refuted the allegations and revealed his plans to launch a judicial review against the Scottish Government over its handling of the complaints process. He also withdrew his long-running membership of the SNP. In January 2019, the Scottish Government admitted that it had breached its own guidelines, with judges ruling its probe into the complaints was "unlawful" and "tainted with apparent bias". Two hikers seriously injured after plunging from cliff at Scots beauty spot Mr Salmond was awarded more than £500,000 in legal expenses but later that month he was arrested and charged. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he faced 14 charges, including two counts of alleged attempted rage and nine counts of alleged sexual assault. Mr Salmond denied all the allegations against him and announced he would "defend myself to the utmost". The high-profile trial got underway at the High Court in Edinburgh in March 2020. After 11 days, Mr Salmond was cleared as the jury found him not guilty over the 12 sexual assault charges and the other was found not proven. One sexual assault charge was also dropped by the Crown. Following the trial, Mr Salmond and his legal team raised concerns about evidence given under oath, leading to a police and Crown Office probe into potential perjury, which remains ongoing. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Following a report of a non-recent sexual assault, enquiries were carried out and no further action will be taken."