Another mystery fire, and who took down the Palestine flags?

Dear readers, thank you for reading yet another unmissable Glasgow Bell Monday briefing. Over the weekend, Calum did some much-needed pottering, ate what he describes as “possibly the best fish and chips” of his life, and went on a walk around Callendar Park in Falkirk; he may even have made good use of the self-service dog wash — for his canine, that is. Robbie was at a show at Glasgow Cathedral (more thereon below). He also enjoyed a wee jaunt to Edinburgh; he can report that the lunch at Montrose is well worth your money, and the libations at Bramble do indeed warrant inclusion in the UK’s top 50 cocktail bars list. 

Normal service is resumed at Bell HQ after a successful quiz last week — full match report below. We’d also like to briefly draw your attention to a job opportunity at our parent company in Manchester. The role is for a marketing and events assistant. It’s an exciting opportunity to work in Manchester with one of the UK’s most exciting media start-ups. Please share the role to anyone you think might be interested. Find out more here. 

Now, let’s get started. 

Glasgow in Brief

🇵🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Picking up some eggs and bread on Saturday morning, Robbie noticed something missing on Govanhill’s main thoroughfare. (No, thankfully not the annual Transylvania Christmas display.) All of the Paltires — the Palestine-Scotland flags that were previously affixed midway up lampposts — had been taken down along the length of Victoria Road. Along with Saltires and Union Jacks seen on lampposts in other parts of the city, they are not authorised to be flown and will eventually be removed by the council when they become “tatty”. The Bell asked Glasgow City Council if they removed the flags; a spokesperson confirmed that the flags were removed by a council maintenance team and that other such flags will be taken down on “an ongoing basis”. Yet Paltires were seen on Nithsdale Road yesterday, and have yet to be taken down in other parts of the city. 

This comes just over a week after we reported on a mass email campaign where opponents of the Paltire — our latest count stands at 703 emails — contacted local councillors and members of the press calling for the flags to be removed. Then, we were first to report that most of the emails were from senders based outwith Scotland, with some coming from the US and Israel. Next, we revealed that a campaign group called Shield of David, which it says advocates for Israel and on behalf of British Jews, was behind the emails. Since then, the campaign group Scotland Against Anti-semitism has claimed that some of its Glasgow-based activists created the template and contacted Shield of David, asking them to share it with its wider following. Unsurprisingly, Victoria Road has found itself as the focal point in Glasgow’s flag politics. In addition, graffiti in support of Hezbollah and Hamas was sprayed on a chicken shop and shipping container in recent weeks. Could the council have acted to remove the Victoria Road flags following the campaign and increased attention that area is now receiving? Govanhill, and in particular Vicky Road, has long drawn the ire of the right-leaning media, but the flags appear to have refocused national (and international) attention, from GB News, the Scottish Sun and the JNS. 

🔥 Keen watchers of The Bell’s Glasgow fires map will have seen a new red dot added over the weekend. Early on Sunday morning, several hours before worshippers were due to attend Sunday service, the Pollokshaws Parish Church went ablaze. Firefighters were unable to save the roof, and parishioners were told shortly before their morning service that the church was completely inaccessible. Built in 1842, the building is B-Listed and has been a “cornerstone of the fabric of the Shaws”, according to a spokesperson for the church. Police Scotland is investigating the cause of the fire. 

🚨 You may have seen reports on Friday about a “disturbance” in a flat that led to Berkeley Street being closed off for most of the day. It later emerged that a 39-year-old man had died and three people, a man and two women aged 25–40, were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Then, on Saturday, Police Scotland referred themselves to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) following the unexplained death of a man in police custody. In Scotland, such deaths are relatively rare, with three occurring in 2023/2024 and two the year prior. However, high-profile cases like Sheku Bayoh’s death at the hands of police in Kirkcaldy have raised concerns over Police Scotland’s use of force in the past. Now, PIRC will investigate the circumstances that led to the yet-to-be-named man’s death and submit their report to the Crown Office.

🪧 Staff at VUE cinema in the St Enoch centre are set to go on strike this week. Strike action will last a month, from 11 December–7 January. Workers are calling for the Real Living Wage for all workers aged 18 and over, trade union recognition, and safe subsidised transport for workers at the end of shifts. It’s the first time staff have gone on strike at a VUE cinema in Scotland. Last month, hospitality workers at the Village Hotel also began five weeks of strike action; the first to take place at a major hotel since 1979. “The cinema venue at St Enoch’s is failing to deliver fair pay and better working conditions, despite Vue Entertainment being a very wealthy company,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. 

Stories you might have missed:

Jeely Piece songwriter Adam McNaughtan dies aged 86, BBC 

Police watchdog to probe 'unexplained' Glasgow custody death, BBC

Swinney brands Farage comments about Glasgow pupils racist, BBC

Think tank: Glasgow needs mayor to tackle £7.3bn productivity gap, The Herald (£)

Glasgow treats more than 1,200 women for genital mutilation, The Herald (£)

MP is now known in Westminster as 'biscuit boy' after viral video, The Times (£)

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Christmas quiz match report:

Freelancers 80.5 – 75.5 Cessnock Poppywatch

At last Thursdays’ inaugural Glasgow Bell Christmas quiz, good vibes and competitive spirit rippled around the sold-out event. The organisers had to scramble to put out extra stools and teams had to squidge next to each other on benches as they vied for the £100 cash prize. 

We can report, not uncontroversially, that the Bell Freelancers’ team won with a score of 80.5. Chants of “cheats” were heard, at which point Calum went red in the cheeks. The organisers deny any allegation of collusion and maintain that the quizmasters maintained the strictest of editorial standards throughout. Ultimately, it’s reassuring that the people we regularly commission to write about this great city know so much about it. The freelancers were pushed hard by Cessnock Poppywatch, Jordanhill Class of ‘04, and Glasgow’s Jingle Bells. Well done to all, and thank you for enduring the mashup of Franz Ferdinand and Susan Boyle in the music round.

Read/listen/watch:  Prayer and Reflection, Glasgow Central Mosque

If you fancy a peek into the vast halls and green carpets of Scotland’s largest and first purpose-built mosque, check out this episode of the BBC’s Prayer and Reflection series. Cameras go behind the scenes for Jummah, Islam’s congregational prayer which takes place every Friday. The series features various places of worship around the UK, with one church, temple or synagogue in each episode. In this edition, Imam Maulana Abdul Ghafoor leads around 2,000 worshippers in recitations of the Qur’an. 

We also rec:

• Upon a White Horse, BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week 
• Can Glasgow 2026 really give the Friendly Games a lifeline? | The Observer 

Catch up and coming up:

• Robbie went undoughcover on the weekend to find out if Paesano really has lost its pizzaz. The article has already been read by thousands of people. Among those, we hope, are the bonafide pizzaioli at DRG, who bought Paesano in 2024; critics say Di Maggio’s are the culprits behind declining standards. There are several tasteful comments on the article, if you care to have a look. Gies yer pizza piece, please.
  
  Reader Hilary said: “The Herald had an article about Paesano's yesterday. The journalist enjoyed the jolly to Edinburgh for the opening there but didn't pick up on the changing ingredients, reflecting only on what it means for a local restaurant to become national. Great example of the Bell actually investigating an issue and producing a far more interesting (and accurate) read.”
  
  While reader Billy didn’t fully agree with Robbie’s analysis but sent over some encouraging words: Had one last night. Sorry to be a Luddite but thought it was pretty dam good… Have you had a Sears pizza? Hard to beat. I love this ‘paper’ it just feels like Glasgow. Thank you.”

Has Paesano Pizza passed its peak?

As Glasgow’s beloved pizzeria scales up, critics say the quality is scaling down

The BellRobbie Armstrong

• A reminder of what we revealed last week: We reported that Glasgow Life had recommended the “do nothing” option in a draft of a business case for Whitehill swimming pool, and continued our unmatched reporting on Glasgow’s flag politics.
• This week, we go deep into the world of Gaelic-medium schools and bring you mugshots of so-called criminals from the early 20th century. It’s going to be a good one.

Headlines of the week (tell us your pick)

17p Christmas dinner dog treats hailed has them 'begging for more'

OR

Man left disappointed at 'sad' Christmas tree lights

Re:view: The Well Within, Glasgow Requiem

The purplish-blue glow of Glasgow Cathedral’s stained glass windows offered a stark contrast to the overcast, dark clouds above on Friday evening. I was there to watch a new show, part of a multi-year arts programme exploring the city’s “mediaeval roots, pre-industrial history and founding mythologies”. The source, as it were, is the discovery of St Mungo’s well in the crypt, dating back to 540 AD — and predating not only the building it is now contained within, but the city itself. The well — covered up and hidden from view for centuries — has been given something of a glow-up, thanks to 1,000 24 carat gold leaf glass plates handmade in Venice. Fitting for a site of pilgrimage central to Glasgow’s foundation.  

As for the show itself, it comprised the Glasgow Madrigirls and Maryhill Integration choirs, a live orchestra, actor Gary Lewis inhabiting the spirit of John Knox, an original composition by Karine Polwart (sung by Siobhan Miller), and a rousing small pipes performance from Harry Górski-Brown. If the interplay of those disparate parts sounds ambitious, it was. So much so, it didn’t quite hang together entirely as a performance — even if many of the elements were spellbinding in themselves, not to mention the cathedral itself.—Robbie.  

Glasgow Calendar: Glasgow Kiss, Ashley Rawson

A crystal meth oompa loompa, the Old Firm and coneheid: three more pastiche images of Glasgow you’re unlikely to find. In the final exhibition of the city’s 850th birthday celebrations, local artist Ashley Rawson has set up in Cass Art for his first solo show of pieces from 25 years of art-making. The show, Glasgow Kiss, reimagines well-worn city clichés, featuring bold colours and images from the recent past, including street art, the young team, and yes, that meth lab oompah loompa. 

Free | 3 -26 December | Cass Art, 63-67 Queen Street, G1 3EN