Police Call for Urgent Talks After Celtic Title Celebrations Turn Violent
Police Scotland has demanded urgent discussions with Celtic FC and other stakeholders after officers were injured while dispersing crowds in Glasgow's Trongate area during the club's Scottish Premiership title celebrations. Approximately 3,000 supporters gathered on Saturday to mark Celtic's victory over Hearts, leading to scenes of disorder.
According to police, officers were assisting with a medical emergency when they were targeted with missiles, including glass bottles. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland condemned the violence, stating: "Urgent discussions with Celtic, wider Scottish football authorities and other stakeholders, including Glasgow City Council, is required to achieve a solution that improves public safety, reduces disruption and prevents this from happening again."
He added: "Once again, we have seen unacceptable levels of violence and anti-social behaviour and Police Scotland's officers have been left to deal with the consequences. Being assaulted is not part of the job and regrettably a number of them were injured. The levels of criminal behaviour witnessed, in particular the hostility directed towards our officers, is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Those involved should be in no doubt that they will be identified and arrested."
By around 7:30pm, the streets were mostly clear, though large amounts of rubbish remained. The Trongate area saw a heavy police presence, with several roads closed in anticipation of the celebrations. This incident follows the force's criticism of Celtic for failing to implement official plans for the title celebrations.
Celtic secured the title with a 3-1 win over Hearts, prompting thousands of fans to spill onto the pitch after the final goal. Hearts later released a statement condemning the "shameful" scenes, saying: "Reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere, are deeply disturbing. We are investigating this fully and are in dialogue with Police Scotland. We will make no further comment at this time other than to say that it is completely unacceptable that our players and staff were put in that situation."
The Edinburgh club added: "The pitch invasion caused a chaotic end and nobody seemed to know whether or not the match had been brought to a finish." Police Scotland confirmed it is engaging with Hearts to determine if any players were assaulted.
