A CATHOLIC priest allegedly attacked as an Orange march past his East End church has been accused of “milking” the incident.

Canon Tom White told police parishioners were “afraid” after he was allegedly spat on and lunged at as the annual Boyne parade passed St Alphonsus Church in Calton on July 7.

But United Free Church of Scotland minister Rev Jason Lingiah insisted Canon White and the Archdiocese of Scotland are “exploiting” the situation.

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His comments came as the Apprentice Boys of Derry Bridgeton were blocked from marching past the church by Glasgow’s public processions committee yesterday.

They wanted to take the route on their way to a Remembrance event at Cathedral Square on November 11.

And in his submission to the committee, Rev Lingiah, representing the Apprentice Boys, said: “We feel that, whilst acknowledging what happened to Canon White is unacceptable, things have been blown out of proportion completely by the Archdiocese and Canon White, who are milking this situation.

“The Archdiocese of Glasgow is having too much say. That’s creating even more tensions.

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“This is the third parade in the loyalist community that is potentially re-routed. There is a fear we won’t be able to come back on that route again and there’s a fear that division is being caused unnecessarily by doing so.”

Rev Lingiah claimed members of the Apprentice Boys of Derry were largely older people who “aren’t really the fighting type” and that they had been lumped in with other Protestant bands as “one big loyalist monster”.

He also claimed the band had marched past the church for 20 years without incident, and that by refusing the march a “no-go zone” was being created.

Nevertheless, the three-person public processions committee panel ordered the marchers to follow a new route which misses out the church and instead goes through Fielden Street and Gallowgate on its way to Cathedral Square.

That decision came after Police Scotland superintendent John McBride revealed details of conversations he had with Canon White.

Superintendent McBride confirmed he would have deployed more than 100 police officers to the march if it went past the church after a group named “Called Out” threatened to protest.

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And he said: “Canon Tom White told me that his parishioners are ‘afraid and threatened when parades go past’. He wanted a ‘new normal’ for parishioners. What is normal for his parish just now is fear. He wants that to change.

“I have received an email from a group “called out” who have made it clear to me that should this parade go ahead they will demonstrate outside the church. I would fully expect that to be peaceful but however given what happened on July 7 I would have to prepare for the worst.”

The Apprentice Boys voluntarily re-routed a previous march away from the church in August after talks with police and council bosses where concerns were raised.

The council ordered a march by the Orange and Purple District 37 in August, and last month by the Royal Black Preceptory, be re-routed away from the church amid police concerns about protests.

Both organisations subsequently cancelled their plans to march after the decision to re-route was imposed.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow declined to comment.