SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Crowds from both sides of the vote met in a volatile confrontation following the decision against independence on Friday. (Photo: Twitter)
Clashes Erupt in Glasgow Square Following Pro-UK Vote
Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond steps down as tensions between voters rise
Sep 19, 2014
As Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom, rival supporters crowded into Glasgow's George Square on Friday in what became a contentious gathering quickly broken up by police officers.
According to a police spokeswoman, about 200 people total converged on the city's central plaza, although they were dispersed shortly. Police launched flares and Unionists waved U.K. flags in the air as they faced off with independence voters. According to the BBC, the confrontation started with a "coordinated" push from pro-Unionists. Peter Adam Smith, a journalist with STV News, posted a vine that captured some pro-U.K. demonstrators using Nazi salutes:
\u201cThis is George Square. https://t.co/qgf7BN7DrI\u201d— Peter A Smith (@Peter A Smith) 1411147768
The confrontation in the square followed a surprise in parliament as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond announced his sudden resignation, telling a press conference, "Right now there is a decision as to who is best placed to lead this process forward politically."
"I believe that in this new exciting situation, redolent with possibility, party, parliament and country would benefit from new leadership," Salmond said.
Salmond had previously said he would stay on as SNP leader through 2016, but on Friday told reporters he would not accept a new nomination at the party's annual conference in November. He is likely to be succeeded by his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, whom he appointed to lead the referendum process.
Updates and photos of George Square were being tracked on Twitter:
On January 20th, it begins...
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. Our Year-End campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
As Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom, rival supporters crowded into Glasgow's George Square on Friday in what became a contentious gathering quickly broken up by police officers.
According to a police spokeswoman, about 200 people total converged on the city's central plaza, although they were dispersed shortly. Police launched flares and Unionists waved U.K. flags in the air as they faced off with independence voters. According to the BBC, the confrontation started with a "coordinated" push from pro-Unionists. Peter Adam Smith, a journalist with STV News, posted a vine that captured some pro-U.K. demonstrators using Nazi salutes:
\u201cThis is George Square. https://t.co/qgf7BN7DrI\u201d— Peter A Smith (@Peter A Smith) 1411147768
The confrontation in the square followed a surprise in parliament as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond announced his sudden resignation, telling a press conference, "Right now there is a decision as to who is best placed to lead this process forward politically."
"I believe that in this new exciting situation, redolent with possibility, party, parliament and country would benefit from new leadership," Salmond said.
Salmond had previously said he would stay on as SNP leader through 2016, but on Friday told reporters he would not accept a new nomination at the party's annual conference in November. He is likely to be succeeded by his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, whom he appointed to lead the referendum process.
Updates and photos of George Square were being tracked on Twitter:
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
As Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom, rival supporters crowded into Glasgow's George Square on Friday in what became a contentious gathering quickly broken up by police officers.
According to a police spokeswoman, about 200 people total converged on the city's central plaza, although they were dispersed shortly. Police launched flares and Unionists waved U.K. flags in the air as they faced off with independence voters. According to the BBC, the confrontation started with a "coordinated" push from pro-Unionists. Peter Adam Smith, a journalist with STV News, posted a vine that captured some pro-U.K. demonstrators using Nazi salutes:
\u201cThis is George Square. https://t.co/qgf7BN7DrI\u201d— Peter A Smith (@Peter A Smith) 1411147768
The confrontation in the square followed a surprise in parliament as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond announced his sudden resignation, telling a press conference, "Right now there is a decision as to who is best placed to lead this process forward politically."
"I believe that in this new exciting situation, redolent with possibility, party, parliament and country would benefit from new leadership," Salmond said.
Salmond had previously said he would stay on as SNP leader through 2016, but on Friday told reporters he would not accept a new nomination at the party's annual conference in November. He is likely to be succeeded by his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, whom he appointed to lead the referendum process.
Updates and photos of George Square were being tracked on Twitter:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.