MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2021) Sputnik and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan posted a congratulatory message on her Twitter to the broadcaster's editing team thanking them for "defeating police brutality" after Scotland's police watchdog advised not to use violence against protesters in case footage ends up being exploited by "hostile foreign media" such as RT.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Times published an article citing John Scott QC, chairman of the independent advisory group on law enforcement during the coronavirus crisis, who defended the mild response of the Scottish police to football fans breaking pandemic regulations as "proportionate and within the law."
The force had come under fire in beginning of March for avoiding confrontation and standing on the sidelines while supporters of Rangers FC wreaked havoc on the streets post-match.
While defending these tactics, Scott stated that "heavy handed policing can actually provoke crowd conflict," and warned that footage of tough crackdowns by authorities could inflame tensions online and offline. He specifically named RT as an example of "hostile foreign media" that "are apt to provide live coverage of sensitive events and to amplify the grievances of any disaffected group."
"This is how we defeated police brutality in Scotland. Great job, team!" Simonyan tweeted.
