Fears grow over potential flashpoint with Celtic's title celebrations set to clash with Orange Walk in Glasgow city centre

Fears are increasing that immoderate areas of Glasgow metropolis centre could descend into chaos connected Saturday owed to a clash betwixt Celtic’s rubric celebrations and an Orange Walk.

Thousands of Celtic supporters volition erstwhile again stitchery successful the Trongate and Merchant City areas to observe winning the league.

Prominent supporters’ groups person already publicised their volition connected societal media to clasp a ‘title party’ pursuing Saturday’s last Premiership lucifer with St Mirren.

But determination is simply a hazard of upset owed to an Orange Walk passing by conscionable a fewer 100 yards from wherever fans person tended to congregate successful caller years. Police Scotland person already spoken retired and criticised Celtic and Glasgow City Council for failing to organise a designated instrumentality country nearer the stadium.

Linked to celebrations astir the 80th day of VE Day, the Orange Walk had been planned months successful beforehand of Celtic’s trophy presentation.

Around 2,500 Loyalists are expected to beryllium marching done the streets, a concern which has the imaginable for ‘inflammatory’ consequences according to assembly chiefs.

A spokesperson for Merchant City Community Council said: ‘Residents and businesses astir Glasgow Cross are already acrophobic astir superior disruption pursuing the Celtic v St Mirren match.

‘Police are apt to person their hands afloat conscionable dealing with that. The beingness of tens of thousands of Celtic and Orange Lodge supporters successful the metropolis connected the aforesaid time is an unwelcome and perchance inflammatory mix.

‘We telephone connected the metropolis assembly and the County Grand Lodge to get unneurotic to put for the parade to instrumentality spot connected a antithetic date.’

This volition present beryllium the 4th twelvemonth successful succession that Celtic fans person mobbed areas of the metropolis centre to observe their team’s rubric triumph.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘We enactment intimately with a scope of partners to code concerns and guarantee due policing plans are successful spot to support nationalist information and minimise immoderate disruption to the wider community.’

Just a fewer days ago, adjunct main constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland had said: ‘Our penchant was for an organised lawsuit oregon fanzone which would origin acold little disruption, trim levels of antisocial behaviour and amended nationalist safety.

‘Police Scotland requested this beryllium considered with our partners, including Celtic FC and Glasgow City Council, arsenic portion of readying discussions.

‘Unfortunately, this enactment wasn’t progressed. We’re present moving connected the presumption that supporters volition stitchery successful the Trongate area.

‘We’ll bash each we tin to woody with anti-social behaviour. I’d impulse supporters not to stitchery successful ample numbers and to respect the residents, businesses and wider nationalist utilizing the metropolis centre.’