About 50 young people have clashed with riot police in Edinburgh with fireworks and petrol bombs being thrown directly at officers.
Video footage from the Niddrie area of the city showed officers in riot gear standing in a line while youths threw explosives at their feet. Police Scotland also responded to disturbances in Glasgow and Dundee.
The force said eight officers suffered minor injuries on a night of “unprecedented levels of violence”. Meanwhile, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said nine crews were attacked during an eight-hour period across the country.
In Niddrie, police were called to the Hay Avenue area at 16:40 GMT after reports of “antisocial use of fireworks”. A statement said officers were pursuing a number of individuals who they believe were providing youths with fireworks and petrol bombs to target police.
Images posted on social media showed bystanders watching the violence. The videos showed officers being bombarded with explosives while teenagers gathered on a green, with some filming it.
About 50 youths within a larger group of youths and adults were responsible for directing fireworks at vehicles and buildings before their behaviour escalated when officers arrived, the police said.
The force said while only a small number of arrests had been made on the night, as a result of the “significant challenges” officers faced, substantial evidence had been gathered and it was anticipated further arrests would take place in the coming days.
It added two police vehicles were damaged in the Beauly Square area of Dundee, at about 18:55, after being struck with bricks. And at about 21:00 in Glasgow officers responded to a report of two groups of youths fighting and throwing fireworks at one another in the Quarrywood Avenue area of Barmulloch.
Eight officers sustained minor injuries in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, gold commander of Operation Moonbeam, said a minority of individuals had been responsible for “unacceptable and frankly, disgusting level of disorder that left communities alarmed and police officers injured”.
He said the violent nature of the disorder in Niddrie was “extremely concerning” – “not least because because it is believed young people were being actively encouraged and co-ordinated by adults to target officers while they carried out their duties”.
‘Completely unacceptable'
The SFRS confirmed crews were attacked in Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blantyre in South Lanarkshire and Blackburn in West Lothian. No firefighters were injured but an appliance in West Lothian had a windscreen smashed by a brick and had to be removed from service.
A spokesperson confirmed the incidents followed four previously reported attacks on crews in Ayrshire and Edinburgh in the week leading up to Bonfire Night, as well as two further attacks over the weekend in Troon and Glasgow.
Assistant chief officer Andy Watt described the total of 15 attacks over the last week as “completely unacceptable”. He added: “Our staff should be able to carry out their role without being attacked. It is disappointing that people have tried to hurt firefighters and have damaged our appliances.
“This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues – including the police – when they are supporting us on scene to ensure the safety of our personnel.”
Mr Watt said his officers would work with the police to identify those responsible. Between 15:30 on Sunday and midnight the SFRS received more than 892 calls from the public and mobilised firefighters to approximately 355 bonfires across the country.
‘Disgraceful behaviour'
City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said he was “appalled” by the scenes in Niddrie. He said: “This reckless behaviour endangers lives and like the majority of people in the community I share in their dismay and upset at this disgraceful behaviour.”
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: “Such attacks on police officers are cowardly, reckless and dangerous. Police Scotland need sufficient resources to tackle these thugs.” In 2018, Police Scotland set up Operation Moonbeam to tackle Bonfire Night disorder.
Last year, a police vehicle was hit by a Molotov cocktail in Niddrie, and motorbike gangs raced through the area while fireworks were lobbed at the ground. On Halloween last week, police were called to the Kirkton area of Dundee after youths set off fireworks and lit an illegal bonfire.
— CutC by bbc.com
