Campbell MacGregor The last issue of Socialist Outlook contained a report on the occupation of Govanhil pool in Glesgow.
This is a swimming pool in a particularty run-down area of he city with a large racial minority population, which the local council were attempeing to close without any semblance of consultation. earty on the morning of August 7 the sheriff's officers moved in, accompanied by large num. bers of police, to evict the occupation.
Ine clasnes winkn took plice were not quite Genoa, but serious clashes between police ever seen in Britain.
When I got up that morning ! read the story on teletext that quicky finished my coffee then headed straight down to the pool. When I got there around 100 police were outside the build. ing, a few hundred protesters were blocking Calder Street were also blocking nearby Victoria Rol. a man road through Glasgow, forcing police to divert traffic. In scenes reminiscent of the bin lids in the road, which had of the approach of the sheriff's inside the building, searching for l0 protesters who they thought were hiding inside. One protester had made it onto the roof.
The crowd was multi-racial and contained several children. Most of them were local peo. ple. They were clearty in a militant mood and showed a deftSA tured up at various times during the day as did SNP MSP Dorothy Grace Elder but unfortunately there was no organised attempe by the SSP to mobilise its members. I did go back to my flat for a time and try to alert SSP members myself by email but the message was only dellvered a week later (this was probably just a technical hitch, but you sometimes wonder).
The SSP has supported the occupation throughout but it does not currently have the organisational ability to mobilise large numbers of people in a short time (I wish it did!). At the same time the authorities are blaming the SSP for the occupation as an excuse for ignoring the militancy of many people in Govanhill. •• 2 SNP MSPs and the SSP are caling for an engury into police heavy-handedness and protesters by the police. The struppie Dy soutsioe Against Closure is continuing, see ntow/crowa.torsaveourpodl