This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Marches and parades review
28/06/2004
Former Strathclyde Police Chief Constable Sir John Orr
is to carry out a review of the procedures for authorising
marches and parades in Scotland.
Minister for Communities Margaret Curran announced today
that Sir John had been appointed as an independent expert
to review the procedures for marches and parades in
Scotland, with the aim of reporting to Ministers by the end
of the year.
Ms Curran said: "I believe that the time is right to
review the issues surrounding marches and parades not only
from the view of those who wish to march, but also from
that of the communities affected by the marches and the
authorities who have responsibility for making decisions
about marches and ensuring public safety.
"We fully respect the right of organisations and
individuals to have processions, but also believe that
councils and march organisers must respect the rights of
communities too.
"I am delighted that Sir John Orr has agreed to take
forward this review."
Sir John Orr said: "I am very pleased to accept the
First Minister's invitation to undertake this important and
challenging review. I am aware of the high level of
interest that this issue generates and know that there will
be a great deal of interest in the outcome.
"I will be approaching the review with a completely open
mind and I certainly plan to listen to, and take account
of, the range and diversity of views which I am sure will
be expressed."
At the same time the Minister announced the Executive's
formal response to the Cross-Party Working Group on
Religious Hatred. Commenting on the response Ms Curran
said:
"Religious intolerance is simply not acceptable in a
modern Scotland. This report signals the way ahead in
tackling the residue of bigotry and narrow-mindedness which
still exists in our society.
"Since the publication of the report, we have already
undertaken a range of work. Today we are outlining our
progress in that field so far, and our plans for moving
forward to challenge bigoted behaviour and attitudes
wherever they arise."
Alison Logan from Sense Over Sectarianism said: "We are
pleased that the Executive is moving forward in tackling
religious intolerance and welcome the report. We look
forward to working with the Executive to continue
addressing this problem."
The review will identify the issues surrounding marches
and parades from the view of those who wish to march, the
communities affected by the marches and the authorities who
have responsibility for making decisions about marches and
ensuring public safety.
It will also consider what actions could be taken to
address the problems caused by marches and parades with
specific reference to:
• The period of notice required to be given to local
authorities and communities for proposed marches and
parades.
• The best way to secure community input into council
decisions on marches and parades.
• The basis for determining when to restrict, refuse
or re-route marches and parades.
• The number of marches and parades occurring in any
particular community and the effects these have on the
communities.
• The cost of policing processions and marches.
RESPONSE TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CROSS-PARTY
WORKING GROUP
Areas highlighted in the Working Group report include:
• The need to acknowledge that manifestations of
religious intolerance and religious hatred are not
acceptable in modern Scottish society.
• The need for contemporary research to define the
extent of the problem, to track changes in attitudes and to
evaluate projects and programmes seeking to effect a
longer-term change.
• Safeguarding freedom of speech.
• Dealing with cultural sectarianism and violence in
the particular context of football matches.
The following actions have been taken since the
publication of the Report of the Cross-Party Working Group
on Religious Hatred:
• The Executive has updated legislation to make specific
provision for offences aggravated by religious prejudice.
• The Crown Office has issued guidance to police and
prosecutors to ensure that religious prejudice in offences
is fully recorded and acted upon through the criminal
justice system.
• Local authorities have reviewed their licensing
provisions for street traders and, where necessary, taken
any appropriate action against sales of sectarian material
outside football matches.
• The Association of Chief Police Officers in
Scotland (ACPOS) has endorsed a protocol for sharing
information between the police and football clubs. This is
being rolled out by police forces across Scotland.
The Executive will be taking forward the following
actions:
• Is developing an anti-sectarian education resource for
schools youth workers and young people.
• Consulting with a range of academics with a
specific interest in the extent of the religious divide and
expand our own research appropriately.
• Discussing with ACPOS the effectiveness of the
police/football club information-sharing protocol after it
has been implemented for 12 months.
• Broadening out thinking on publicity as part of its
wider strategy to tackle the religious divides in
Scotland. This will include an evaluation of the benefits
of localised advertising campaigns for awareness raising
and the impact these have on communities.
• Joining together with a broad range of
organisations that have a specific interest in tackling the
religious divide to co-ordinate and monitor a continuing
response to religious hatred.
The Executive will also be taking forward work that goes
beyond the recommendations of the Working Group. This
includes addressing issues surrounding other faith groups,
such as Islamophobia, the affects these have on faith
communities and how problem issues can be addressed
The report of the Cross-Party Working Group on Religious
Hatred, originally published in December 2002, is available
on
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/society/trhr.pdf
.
The Executive's response to that report, published
today, is available on
www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/scpwgrk-00.asp.