A MAN has spoken of his fear after he was reportedly assaulted and insulted by racist thugs in George Square.
In a Facebook post that has gone viral, Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, a Scottish-Chinese man said he was called a "C******" by protestors in the city centre yesterday, who claimed to have appeared to "protect" statues in the square yesterday.
Tommy, who was photographing the charged event yesterday, claims to have been subjected to racial abuse, which culminated in him being punched in the head as he curled on the ground, surrounded by a gang of protestors.
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He claims that a police officer pulled off his assailants and then threatened him with action if he did not leave.
We reported earlier that despite clashes with protestors, no arrests were made at yesterday's event.
Tommy wrote: "I have never felt less safe anywhere in the world as I did yesterday, in the very centre of the city that I love and that I call home. And then I was attacked.
"Despite the safety that might come from being in the press gang, my vest, cycling cap, and colourful trainers probably marked me out in their perception as not only separate from the other press photographers but as a man who doesn't put his hand over his heart upon hearing God Save The Queen: this was enough to make me a target for violence.
"For the first time in my life, I heard the N-word said with feeling.
"There was a menace in the air that I've never, ever felt before. These men were itching for a fight, and when one of them thought they saw a representative of Antifa across the square - whether they imagined they saw a symbol on a Tshirt, or whether it was because the boy had blue hair - he shouted "OVER THERE!!" and they ran, hundreds of men running towards a single target. The police were swift in cutting them off - officers running, the screech of vans, the clop of horses - but the glee in those faces as they rushed towards another human being with the intent to hurt them was truly chilling."
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He goes on to describe officers protecting him from a group who he said targeted him and shouted racial slurs at him. He reported one as saying: "C***** wi the cameras! Get him!"
He said he was then attacked by thugs, who punched him on the head until an officer intervened. The officer then reportedly told him to leave because the protestors had "taken offence" to his presence.
Tommy goes on to detail more racist abuse he apparently received from thugs in the square before resolving to attack a group, one of whom he claimed threatened to "split his head open".
He claimed to have been stopped before reaching the group by an officer, who he said again instructed him to leave.
He concluded the post, which has now been shared on the social media platform over 5,700 times: "I cycled to meet my sister, and she bought me a beer.
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"It might be argued that the police treated me with respect, and I actually came away from the interaction feeling like that. I left because the officer was right to say that I was making things worse, and I can't imagine what good it would have done anyone for me to stay there. But as I recovered from the shock - when my hands stopped shaking - I replayed the events in my head, I see it like this:
"A large group of men called me a chinky, tried to take my cameras from me, and punched me in the head; the sole response of police officers who witnessed this was to ask me to leave the area."
Police Scotland have been approached for comment.
A staff member of The Herald, our sister paper, was also reportedly threatened as he photographed the protest.
Stephen McIlkenny said: "Went along to George Square today - folk patrolling the perimeter threatening people who are taking photos.
Went along to #GeorgeSquare today - folk patrolling the perimeter threatening people who are taking photos. It appears they aren't such big fans of the liberty they are so fond of protecting. After being approached by a few men I deleted most of my pictures & walked on. #Glasgow pic.twitter.com/eh0CZ8uMzk
— Stephen McIlkenny (@StephenBMcI) June 14, 2020
"It appears they aren't such big fans of the liberty they are so fond of protecting. After being approached by a few men I deleted most of my pictures and walked on.
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A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said the force was unable to verify Tommy's specific claims "at this time".
Superintendent Simon Jeacocke said: "A sizeable number of individuals identified as being from various groups gathered in George Square on Sunday morning with a stated intention of protecting statues. Throughout the day, police officers were required to intervene due to the presence of opposing groups to maintain order and public safety.
"Both factions included known football risk groups. There were no arrests in connection with the event, however as is usual with events of this nature, a review is underway and should any criminality be identified appropriate action will be taken.
"As such, we would encourage anyone with information, images or concerns to contact Police Scotland on 101. We take all such incidents of disorder or hate crime seriously and all reports will be fully investigated."
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