Police officer fined for joining Rangers fans’ party in George Square

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A serving police officer has been fined for breaking coronavirus rules after he was spotted celebrating Rangers’s league title among a crowd of fans in Glasgow’s George Square.

The 23-year-old constable was served a fixed penalty notice after being photographed cheering alongside thousands of others supporters while off duty. He also faces disciplinary action.

Five officers were injured and 28 people arrested amid “rising disorder” in the square on Saturday, Police Scotland said, where fireworks were set off and missiles thrown.

The area was left strewn with broken bottles, plastic bags and spent flares hours after fans gathered to celebrate Rangers’s Scottish Premiership victory in spite of restrictions on mass gatherings.

The officer was named on social media after photos of George Square, packed with fans, were shared online, but he has not been named by police.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of images circulating online and following inquiries, a 23-year-old man was given a fixed-penalty notice for breaching coronavirus regulations.

“The circumstances will be considered by the professional standards department.”

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, described the scenes in George Square as “disgraceful”.

She tweeted: “To say I’m utterly disgusted by the Rangers fans who rampaged through the city would be an understatement.”

Police confirmed that some of the arrests made were in relation to anti-social behaviour, with video footage shared to social media showing groups of people becoming involved in physical brawls.

Riot police were also filmed pouring supporters’s alcohol away and urging them to “disperse and take personal responsibility” for their actions.

The fans were cleared away from the square shortly after 9pm, having marched down from the Ibrox Stadium where Rangers defeated Aberdeen 4-0 and lifted their first Scottish Premiership trophy in more than a decade.

Despite restrictions being lifted in other parts of the country on 17 May, Glasgow remains in tier 3 of lockdown restrictions, meaning large gatherings are banned.

It is the only part of Scotland currently under these conditions as coronavirus cases in the region have begun to rise.