Glasgow college students threatened by loyalist leaders in Orange Hall after filming them joking about ‘shooting Tims’
The journalism students were invited into the hall in Partick to interview members of the Apprentice Boys of Derry after an anniversary march but things took a sinister turn and they were blocked from leaving when they caught the sectarian comments on camera
By Mark Hendry
By Mark Hendry
TWO terrified students had to call cops after they were threatened by loyalist bosses in an Orange Hall for refusing to hand over video footage showing them joke about "shooting Tims".
The journalism undergraduates were invited into Crawford Hall in Partick after taking photographs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry - a Protestant society with links to the Orange Order - during a march in Glasgow last month for a college project.
But the visit turned sour when they unwittingly filmed former Club President Donald Speirs making reference to "shooting Catholics" during a memorial service speech for a deceased member.
Recalling a conversation with the deceased, Mr Speirs is heard saying: "On nights out he would tell us he would be taking BBs at the church and would have rifle practice. The minister used to tell him 'you'll need to practice because you'll be shooting papists soon ... to shoot all they Tims and that'."
Two men, identified as the vice-president and a former president, can then be seen having a discussion before staring at the camera and the students.
Moments after the service ended, the male and female students were surrounded by several members and ordered to delete the footage.
On a recording obtained by The Scottish Sun Online, current president Barney Jeffrey can be heard warning them: "If I find out any of them [videos] are publicised I'm gonna come to your college and you'll have to answer to me. You mark my words on that."
The voice on the audio can then be heard insulting the female student for not handing over her student card and justifying the threat, saying: "You can thank her stupidity for that."
The students claim they were then unable to leave the building for half an hour because several burly men were guarding the door while other members taunted them by saying "that's what you get".
Listen to moment two students are threatened by loyalist bosses at Glasgow Orange Hall
The female student, 20 - who wished to remain anonymous - said: "There were at least three huge, built men and I'm quite a small person so it was very intimidating because they weren't letting us go anywhere.
"They kept telling us they weren't keeping us there but they were literally standing between us and the doors to leave. They kept us in the hallway for about half an hour."
The Apprentice Boys members threatened to call police to "sort out the situation" but it was the students who decided to ring the cops.
And they were only permitted to leave after making the phone call and staying on the line with officers until they were safely outside the building.
The female student added: "It wasn't until I left that I realised it was a dangerous situation so I was really glad to get out of there. It was quite scary."
But they claim they were oblivious of the sectarian comments made during the memorial service and only realised what they had captured during a second viewing.
She said: "Watching the video back we heard what they had been saying and we both realised that was the reason they were being so aggressive with us.
The students had been taking photos at the march and were invited into the hall afterwards by a marshal"One of the members also said to 'thank me for my stupidity' because if I had let them take a photo of my ID they would have let us go. So it wasn't just a threat, it was insulting as well."
Her classmate, 32, confirmed they took a photo of his ID and demanded he delete all his footage in front of them.
He said: "They also started demanding the memory card from us, which I wasn't willing to give them, and they threatened to call the police.
"They asked for my classmate's ID card but she refused and then they threatened us again. The current president threatened us and things got a bit shouty.
"There were a lot of raised voices and people coming out from the halls telling us that we had brought it on ourselves and 'that's what you get'."
The students, fearing for their equipment and own well-being, recorded the conversation between themselves and members of the organisation that lasted more than 30 minutes.
On the audio footage, several different voices can be heard questioning the students' motives for filming inside.
One unidentified voice is heard demanding the equipment be handed over before he says: "Take all the memory cards off them! That's what you get, you shouldn't have come in without permission."
One member of the organisation can also be heard offering to buy the camera's memory card from the pair - but the students were adamant they wanted to keep all images for their photography class.
Thomas Porteous, Scottish Amalgamated Committee Chairman for the Apprentice Boys of Derry, said: "We take allegations and reports of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously.
"Any evidence of such behaviour should be immediately referred to the Scottish Amalgamated Committee to be dealt with as per our disciplinary procedures within the rules of the association."
Police have confirmed they are investigating.
The college declined to comment.
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