This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Police action praised
05/07/2005
Police were praised today for their 'swift, decisive, and effective' intervention during yesterday's protests in Edinburgh.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Since Saturday we have seen a wide range of G8-related events and protests across Scotland. The vast majority have been a credit to the people involved and have shown Scotland in a positive light. Yesterday was an unwelcome exception to that.
"People and businesses in some parts of central Edinburgh were disrupted. Some law-abiding citizens were caught up in events that must have been very intimidating. However, but for the swift, decisive and effective intervention of our police many more people could have become involved and potentially hurt.
"I have spoken this morning to the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police to convey Scottish Ministers' appreciation of the professional job carried out by frontline officers yesterday. A message I believe will be echoed by most reasonable people in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.
"Apologists for the individuals who brought violence and intimidation to our streets will argue that the way public safety and order was maintained stifled legitimate protest. There is nothing legitimate about hurling a park bench in the middle of Princes Street. Nothing spontaneous about threatening a police officer with a 3-foot stave. A yob is a yob - whether doing it for kicks, or doing it for politics.
"Above all, we must not let this small minority deflect us all from what G8 in Scotland is all about. Making a real difference for millions of people living in poverty."