Often, the establishment, those on the receiving end of the protests, attempt to reclaim it. On both days of the general strike in Greece earlier this week, the Square, and the roads around it, were flooded with riot police. The second the violence began, people were pushed out of the square, and, from what I can tell from the news reports, the police were more interested in merely clearing the square infront of the parliament than actually arresting people who had been throwing petrol bombs and chunks of marble at them.
The original Occupy camp at Zucotti Park was controlled by the police after the first eviction. They put up barriers and heavily restricted access to the area, not allowing large groups to gather. The most heavily guarded part of New York at the time was Wall Street itself, which the police were careful not to allow protesters access to.
During the Diamond Jubilee this year, the Queen paid a visit to St Paul's Cathedral, symbolically reclaiming the area for the establishment. And so it goes, the battle to occupy public space, and the perception of public space.
If Scotland has an area like this, it is George Square in Glasgow. It has a long history of hosting public dissent. In the last few decades it there have been protests there against South African apartheid, against the poll tax, against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just last mont the STUC held a rally and march which originated from a packed-full George Square. During the 1910s it was the focalpoint of the 'Red Clydeside' movement, where John McLean made public speeches against the Great War and conscription. The Red Clydeside uprising culminated in the notorius Battle of George Square (also known as Bloody Friday). Glasgow band Mogwai predicted, probably quite rightly, that it would become the setting of the party when Margaret Thatcher, Scotland's Enemy, finally dies. Even the discredited Occupy Glasgow found a home in the Square, which seems only natural.
However, the legacy and importance of George Square is under threat by the most typical of enemies - privatisation. Glasgow City Council have taken the decision to close the square for up to two years, for 're-development' purposes. Hanging like a limpet from this plan is an outright ban on public assemby in the square. The police have been bolstered with extra powers designed to curb rallies and marches, with the aim, presumeably, of driving dissent away from the front of City Chambers, and away from the centre of the city, where it could make an impact on the wider public.
Two points to make here - firstly, the Labour party remains in charge of Glasgow City Council, further showing that it has no intention of continuing it's role as the party of the people, rather than of business and profit.
Secondly, this would shut the Square off for protest during the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which are being held in Glasgow. This is a direct continuation of the undemocratic anti-protest laws which were put in to place in London this summer.
Statues of Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Robert Peel would all be torn down, ripping away symbols of Scotland's national culture from the centre of it's main city, replaced by the hollowness of a revamp shopping area. Is the soul of George Square enough of an exchange for a bit more 'high-end' shopping (which is not even guarantteed)? Of course not.
The closing of George Square would also remove yet more public space from the centre of a major city. Huge amounts of 'public' space in Britain are actually privately owned, meaning that the operaters could turf you out if the feeling took them. If the same were to happen to George Square it would be a travesty - not just for protests or public space, but for Glasgow, and Scotland in general. It would be more history trampled underfoot in the stampede towards empty capitalist growth.
The Glasgow Defense Campaign, along with a variety of local protest groups, are holding series of actions against the George Square plans. You can find out more here.
If you would like to know more about Red Clydeside, I would highly recommend When The Clyde Ran Red by Maggie Craig.
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