ONE man is in hospital and 10 people were arrested after Celtic supporters gathered in the centre of Glasgow to celebrate the team’s Premiership victory.
Fans gathered at Glasgow Cross on Saturday to celebrate the Parkhead side lifting the trophy following a 5-0 thrashing of Aberdeen.
But police said events took a turn and there was an “unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour and incidents of disorder” during the gathering, which video footage showed included people sitting atop traffic lights and setting off green flares.
Police said three people were assaulted in three separate attacks during the event – a 31-year-old man remains in a “serious condition” at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan.
Two other men, aged 33 and 19, were treated after being attacked and have since been released, said Police Scotland in a statement.
The force confirmed it had arrested 10 people during the gathering for offences including assault, acts of public disorder and police assault. No police officers were injured.
A further eight people were fined, and 18 people were said to have sustained minor injuries – “mainly” due to drunkenness, police added.
Alison Thewliss, the MP for Glasgow Central called on Celtic to foot the bill for the cost of cleaning up the rubbish left in the aftermath of the celebrations.
She tweeted: "I've had a number of complaints from local residents about the disruption and the mess from yesterday.
"Consistent with my call in previous years, I would suggest the football team responsible be billed by Glasgow City Council for the clear-up - in this instance Celtic FC."
Superintendent Gerry Corrigan, Greater Glasgow Division, said: “Yesterday afternoon, thousands of Celtic supporters gathered in the area of Glasgow Cross for several hours to celebrate their team’s achievement.
"Working with partners, a proportionate policing plan was in place which facilitated the gathering, prioritised public safety and sought to minimise disruption to businesses and communities.
Stunning drone footage of @celticfc fans celebrating their league title win 🍀 pic.twitter.com/bgGsvQB7Wa
— FC PALESTINA (@fc_palestina) May 28, 2023
"Throughout the day, there was an unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour and incidents of disorder. Police officers took swift and robust action to prevent these escalating.
“Three people were seriously assaulted in three separate incidents during the event. A 31-year-old man remains in a serious condition within Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after being attacked.
“Two other men, aged 33 and 19, were treated at hospital after being assaulted and have since been discharged.
“There were ten arrests for a number of other offences including assault, acts of public disorder and police assault following the event. No police officers were injured.
“A further eight people were issued with fixed penalty notices. Eighteen people sustained minor injuries mainly due to intoxication. Enquiries into all reported incidents are ongoing.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "Our staff were on hand to move in and begin a clear-up operation once crowds began to disperse on Saturday evening.
“Staff worked through the night to deal with the build-up of waste and a continued effort was required on Sunday morning to restore the area to a good condition.
“Roads closed at short notice for safety reasons were reopened on Sunday morning and traffic signals damaged during the gathering were also repaired.
“A full assessment of the impact of the unofficial event will be undertaken.
“But the gathering clearly caused disruption to residents, local businesses and the roads network.
“We are also concerned about the anti-social behaviour and risk to public safety associated with the gathering.
“We will be engaging with our partners in Saturday’s operation on how the issues that arose during the gathering can be addressed in future.”
