COUNCILLORS who objected to an Orange Order march have said that they received death threats.
The revelation came during a meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Council as the local authority launched a bid to tackle bigotry and anti-Irish racism.
Labour councillor Douglas McAllister told the meeting last week that police warned him of the threat after he opposed a procession in Dumbarton.
McAllister said that he moved a motion at a licensing committee to not allow the Grand Black Chapter to march.
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The motion was initially successful and the march was not allowed to go ahead but a sheriff overturned the decision shortly after.
McAllister said: “Within three days the decision was overturned to allow them to march in our streets when the decision was taken to a Sheriff.”
He added: “As a result, I received a phone call from the chief of police to say quite serious death threats had been issued against my name because I had chosen to stand up against this sectarianism in our community.”
Council leader Jonathan McColl also told the meeting how he also received threats after seconding a motion to stop a march going ahead more than a decade ago.
He said: “Following that meeting in August 2009 I had a similar phone call from the police about death threats.”
READ MORE: How many Orange Order walks are in your council area this year?
McAllister then added that the recent incident evidenced that local authorities do not have the power to stop processions from going ahead as these powers lie with the Scottish Government.
West Dunbartonshire Council has previously approved a motion to write to the Scottish Government calling for anti-catholic and anti-Irish discrimination to be tackled.
The motion from SNP councillor Karen Conaghan also asked for a paper on law and practice in relation to marches and education to address sectarianism in schools.
Conaghan also thanked McAllister for his bravery in the past in standing up against sectarianism.
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