Groups unofficially aligned with the "Yes" and "No" campaigns of the Scottish Independence Referendum took to streets in Glasgow's City Centre to taunt each other as police struggled to control the crowds and maintain peace Thursday. At least six people were arrested after pro-union campaigners burned Scotland's flag, known as the Saltire, in George Square, according to Twitter reports.
As British National Party demonstrators and individuals performing Nazi salutes whilst waving the UK flag, better known as the Union Jack, berated each other, the two groups were kept separate by lines of high-visibility cops, with Scottish police on horseback throwing flares across George Square, Breitbart reported.
Amidst a tense atmosphere of about 100 people on each side of the group, the Yes crowd sang "Flower of Scotland," while the No group retaliated with "Rule Brittania," a Scotland police spokesman said.
The scenes were described as "ugly" by Daily Mirror journalists, though the police have been repeatedly praised for holding the line, keeping a relative amount of peace, and not overreacting to provocations by the crowds.
By 9:30 p.m., the majority of campaigners had dispersed, but a small group of troublemakers remained and were being monitored, Scotland police said.
A majority of the blame was placed on "Yes" supporters for the raucousness in the city center Thursday night, according to Twitter users. By Friday morning, however, the pro-Union side was being blamed by "Yes" supporters.
"For people like me who are committed to the democratic process and who have valued the way in which this campaign has been conducted until now, it is extremely disappointing," Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Sir Menzies Campbell said.
"I hope that police will be able to make calm heads prevail and people will go home. The best possible thing would be a heavy shower in George Square. That is often a way of dispersing people who are ready to make trouble."
The situation appears to have calmed down now, but marches by the pro-Union Orange Order are reported to be planned, fuelling fears that trouble could flare up again later.
