Called for by the James Connolly Flute Band several hundreds of protesters gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, at the end of last week demanding Irish unity and the withdrawal of the crown forces, particularly out of the occupied north of the country. Despite multiple attacks organized by loyalist and chauvinist forces who outnumbered the protesters, they successfully were fended off and the march victoriously was pushed through.
With the plan of allowing hundreds of loyalist attackers, solely mobilized and equipped to violently block the march, to crack down on Irish Republicans, antifascists, anti-imperialists or other sympathetic activists Scottish police (although deploying hundreds of policemen, dog units, helicopter support and horses) on Friday withdrew from defending the March that was attended by Families with Children and letting them defend themselves. From the very beginning, at the starting place at Elder Park, counter protesters carrying British flags, a banner of a paratroop regiment and shouting slogans against Irish independence were able to block the entrances to the park to prevent the march from commencing, throwing bottles and pyrotechnics at the gathered crowd.
However, when they gathered enough courage to directly confront the protesters for Irish unity, there were met by an outnumbered but combative group of activists that took on themselves the duty to defend the just protest and to thwart off the reactionary attackers. Without letting the march get dispersed multiple attacks where pushed back until in the end, the manifestation could successfully break through the encirclement and trash the barricade erected by the loyalist mob. With only minor scuffles to follow, the march victorious marched to its designate ending point.
