Today many in the press and many of the Sevco online commentators are congratulating each other on yesterday’s result against Hibs.
I used my promotion code and half watched the game and didn’t find either side to be particularly impressive; indeed, if Celtic was even remotely competent on the day, as poor as we are right now, I’d expect us to beat either one of them with measured ease and room to spare.
I don’t want to talk about the game.
It’s not what some of them are talking about either.
I want to talk, as their official website did, as a couple of their players did and as some of the press have, about the “amazing atmosphere.”
Right there, friends and neighbours, is a sterling example of Scotland’s Shame.
First, let me do something unusual; I’m going to praise The Daily Record for being willing to discuss what I’m about to.
For once they’ve stuck their necks out.
Fair play to them, and to Graham Spiers and others, who put this front and centre before the full time whistle had even gone.
That’s all Scotland expects of you … that you remember what the job is.
Because yesterday was marred by the kind of gutter behaviour a section of the Sevco support simply can’t shake and which certain sections of our society – including some in the media – can’t bring itself to condemn.
Scotland’s Shame used to be a secretive kind of thing.
It wasn’t explicitly acknowledged by any official body, far less discussed openly.
That was before the SFA used it to defend Rangers in a sectarian singing case that was opened by UEFA.
They told the European governing body that it was a “cultural phenomenon” and one that was peculiar to Scotland.
They slandered this whole country, in effect, to explain the behaviour of a handful of Neanderthals and to spare their favourite club from embarrasment.
At around the same time, Gordon Smith was on national radio defending those songs to an incredulous panel on Radio Scotland.
He later became CEO of the SFA, of course.
The governing bodies curious defence made headlines.
It got the politicians interested. Jack McConnell called the first “sectarianism summit” but although it produced a lot of hot air and dragged the subject into the light there was no actual action taken … which might have prevented what came.
We all know what that was.
It was The Offensive Behaviour At Football Act, proposed in the aftermath of a single football match and the ugly scenes sparked by the indiscipline of the Rangers team and its manager, an event which haunts football in this country to this day, and for which Neil Lennon somehow got the lion’s share of the blame, including the only sporting sanction handed down by the SFA.
It was that remarkable, scandalous, corrupt decision that led the late Paul McBride QC to go on national television and brand our governing body “the laughing stock of world football”.
Of course, the repercussions went much deeper than just the victimisation of the Celtic manager, which certain sections of Scottish society seemed to take a nearly perverse pleasure in.
You only have to look at the two judicial decisions which involved him – the Not Proven verdict in his assault case and the decision to charge the men who sent him bombs with “conspiracy to commit assault” – to realise that.
As already noted, the so-called Old Firm Shame Game – which was, in point of fact, simply the Rangers Shame Game – resulted in the passing of a scandalous law which did nothing whatsoever to prevent the spectacle, yesterday, of huge numbers of people engaging in the kind of backwards, 16th century behaviour the law was supposed to prevent.
Those responsible for writing that law are frauds.
Those responsible for its application are gutless in that they don’t apply it evenly.
Picking on a bunch of kids in the street and threatening to “ruin lives” is one thing; wading into spectators at a game and arresting them by the dozen is, apparently, too much like hard work.
The law isn’t the issue here anyway, or it’s only a small part of it.
The issue here, the problem, is the way our society still tolerates these people, the way their football club refuses to engage with the issue and root them out, the way our media ignores it when it’s not eulogising the “atmosphere” itself.
I’m sick hearing about people being up to their knees in my blood. I am sick of hearing retrograde scum talking about they “hate Celtic” before throwing a sectarian term in for good measure. When do we say “enough of this” and deal with the problem?
I am opposed to restrictions on free speech.
I am opposed to the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, and want to see it put in the bin.
It was an un-necessary law, because the statute books already contain legislation on hate speech, which is exactly what many of yesterday’s morons were engaged in.
Even those laws leave me disquieted, so I am not going to advocate that everyone in the stands be detained and questioned and some of them charged. The best way to deal with hate speech is not to pass laws against it; it’s to publicise it based on what it is.
The irony here is that some of the very same people who were belting out hate yesterday were, this time last week, trying to get a South Lanarkshire primary school teacher the sack for stuff she put up on Twitter.
If we applied similar logic to them we’d be sending video footage of all that sectarian singing to their bosses and trying to whip up the storm.
The media, which door-stopped her and harassed her family (and still is) have, by and large, not condemned yesterday’s display in any way, shape or form, of course.
It too is populated mainly by cowards, with no interest in confronting the issue and whose praise for the fans for creating “a sense of occasion” is lamentable and only compounds their shame.
But once again, a disgusting display of sectarian abuse that belongs at Ibrox has been allowed to stain a whole country, by the absolute refusal in some quarters to acknowledge that it happened at all.
The club itself couldn’t wait to put an article up that heaped praise on the fans, although many of them behaved disgracefully and that tells you everything you need to know about the people in charge over there.
They could have done this whole country a huge favour last night, but they chose, instead, to embrace and hold tight the worst elements in it.
I would normally never have chosen to end a year on such a horrible note, but I received an email in the aftermath of yesterday’s match from a Scottish football fan living in Shanghai, China, who wanted to know what we can do to end this scourge once and for all.
Most of all, he wanted to know how to explain to his daughter, who he thinks of as Scottish but who’s never set foot in this land, why these people sing about hating her.
I don’t know how we end this, but I do know the first step towards that goal is to confront the issue and acknowledge that it exists.
Much of our media doesn’t want to, but that’s not to say the rest of us can’t force the matter into the public domain, which is why I’m doing this.
As to the more general point about the haters … I told him simply that it’s all some people know how to do and that if it wasn’t us they were singing about it would be Jews or Muslims or some other “out” group, because that’s what puts the oxygen in their veins.
I told him to tell his girl that these people don’t represent Scotland or even their own club, because in the end, they use Ibrox, and the club itself, as a totem pole to dance around, but that’s only possible because the club itself has never, decisively, moved away from them.
Yet even it will, in time, because the vast, vast majority of Sevco fans are as sick of them as we are.
Because this isn’t about the whole Sevco support, of course, but a group of yahoos within it.
I believe that.
I believe they don’t represent Scotland.
But certain parts of this country still tolerate them and even encourage their hate.
It’s almost 2016 for God’s sakes.
This stuff has dragged our country down for too long.
When do we finally put an end to it?
Great Article James, we all know the SMSM are blind and deaf all things negative regarding Sevco
Saying over and over that it is a minority of them gives them an out every time if it was the majority would have drowned them out by now but they never do. ….. apply what they do to another company and ask yourself if decent people would do business with said company
The place was full how many can claim to be decent when they spend money at such a place
I’m a loyal rangers fan and I don’t like your attitude buddy I’m a decent hard working guy who spends his hard earned cash at ibrox to watch my team but I do agree with this article sectarianism need to be kicked out of football by both sides of the old firm
………….
William Trimble. The bigotry and sectarianism that comes from Rangers is far worse than from Celtic. ie, the Orange Walk, how many of them are Rangers season ticket holders, and supporters? I would say about 90% of them. Everything James Forrest says is 100% true.
Loyal in what sense? Being a footballing Rangers fan is one thing. Being loyal to the putrid WATP mentality is not such a forgiving subject. You don’t like the attitude of a statement? IS Rangers a football team or a Cognitive dissonance culture? The atmosphere at ibrox rarely reaches fever pitch decibels unless the lads get to sing about fascist slasher Billy Fullertons razor gangs that slashed mostly poor catholics in the 1920s. I remember having a long conversation with a good pal of mine who loved Rangers. Who insisted that although he sang the songs with gusto, he was only a 90 minute bigot. Got out his frustrations on big euro nights singing about people the UK government starved to death in the 20th century. Assuming you don’t take the same approach and just love Rangers and new Rangers for the football. What are your thoughts when the people about you are singing songs about glorifying murder of so called non people simply because they are well, non people whatever that chant is actually all about. Do you feel shame that you are part of the crowd when that happens or do you like my mate feel 90 minute anti Catholic and particularly Anti Irish Catholics is OK just as a way to vent your frustrations and feel good about being a person? A lot of people suggest Celtic are just as bad singing about Republican mad men. But are they? Are they reminding society that they have been mistreated by the people by recalling historically accurate songs about being oppressed by the people who call themselves the People. Your right to say that most Rangers fans are empathic and normal human beings. But thats the case with most of humanity. Whereas a section of Scottish society (brotherhood of handshakes is involved) actually hold true to the notion that singing songs about oppressing and demonising other human beings is fine and dandy. They rent really people after all. So lets all get together and sings songs of hatred and murder is actually part of the game???? I have been to Ibrox to watch games asa boy with die hard cousins who were Rangers men. I been in the crowd at several games as neutral just along to watch a decent game of football. And I couldn’t spot anyone who didn’t sing along with the most heinous songs. Perhaps thats just here behaviour. But they still sang the songs. I have been at and sung songs that glorify the struggle of Irish freedom from an oppressive British regime. I dont find any Anti British establishment songs to be in the least offensive. I do however ashore the bombing of civilians and I would never go back to Parkhead if they ever sang songs about slashing people or oppressing people. You might say well does the singing of political songs about anti Britishness not count as bigotry? I say no it doesn’t. I don’t dislike British people. I am a British person. I do however abhor British establishment divide and rule policies. I abhor British white protestant supremacist ideology. Just like I abhor white German Supremacist ideology. I can’t understand anyone who gets visibly excited by singing songs of wading in blood. I can’t understand anyone who gets excited by believing they are more a person with legitimate rights of superiority. That for me is British culture. Flying Union flag like its a Swastika. Glorifying in the starvation of UK citiizens most of whom had not long helped win the Napoleonic war for a UK that hated them led by and Irishman from Dublin. Orange divide and rule policies and Gerrymandered elections have helped create an ideology that Ireland is two countries. There have been some terrific football players playing at Ibrox over the years. And at times the football has been exciting and if that was what most Rangers fans really enjoyed then I would support your ‘I don’t like your attitude buddy’ comment. But sadly i don’t think it is a minority of supremacists that support Rangers and their new tribute team. A mass horde of people who enjoy having a tilted board in their favour. Not only enjoy but expect that that is justice. For they after all are the real People. Being anti a supremacist ideology is not sectarianism. Being anti a person faith colour or creed or nationality is sectarian. To try and tar Celtic with an anti protestant agenda is nonsense. To suggest that Celtic are anti- Britain isn’t sectarian. Being against a system of oppression isn’t sectarian. Thats a right as a human being. If someone was flying a swastika and telling you that you are scum because you aren’t a nazi. And then saying the jews are just as sectarian as us thats why we sing songs about gasing them. I don’t really condone gaming them but them pesky jews really ought to admit the are just as bad as us Nazis. Nonsense logic. Celtci have never had sectarian policies. The reference to hating huns as protestants is nonsense Aberdeen fans refer to you as huns. They are just as majority protestant as your lot. Hun is a term attributed by war time Britain to fascist from Germany. Rangers fans use dot call Celtic fans huns. But the term really stuck for Rangers fans after they developed Hunnish policies of wrecking English cities when they played big games there. Even after 1972 Cup winners cup win Your team were banned from defending the trophy due to riots in Barcelona which kept falling on the pitch and off the pitch before the match had even finished. I like to think of the term hun meaning Horrible Unwell Nutcases. Fits quite well with your fan base ideology of supremacist attitudes. Even in Manchester not long before you died you wrecked the place coz a tv broke. Its a club that has rank rotten agendas from top to bottom. Protestant extremists Never Never Yield All Roman Catholics are denied Entry. Apparently that was a codeword for UVF activists in late 1960s. Take the first letter from the code word and you get Penny Arcade. A non football song sung by Roy Orbison. The song title became a great way to introduce yourself incognito to fellow psychopaths with supremacist agenda. Became the song at Ibrox the season anti bigotry was promoted. And the hardcore fans love that song despite having no football connection at all. The red beneath the knee on most Rangers socks is an interesting little up your knees reminder. Their are people at Parched who undeniably hate for hates sake. But not in any bigotry sense that can be termed bigotry. Hatred does not equal bigotry. And thats another example of the subtle Press agenda. Both as bad as each other mantra. No those who hate aren’t nice people at Celtic But they aren’t bigots because they hate a system that demonises them and glorify the other. But hating someone because they are from Ireland or a Catholic is indeed bigotry. I don’t hate any Rangers fans. But I do abhor the ideology that the have been brainwashed to sing about. You might say you abhor the ideology that Celtic fans sing about. But you call Celtic bigots. If you are a football man only then none of the above applies to you and therefore you shouldn’t be offended by anyone attitude against your club. If however you secretly think hatred of creed colour nationality then you have no defence. You are a Horrible unwell Nutcase (H.U.N).
You are a vile, obsessed, hate-filled and insufferable example of what is wrong with people these days. You spew pseudo-intellectual claptrap that you yourself barely understand and hope that the even thicker people who read your unpolished, amateurish and sinister invective will swallow. You make me sick you uneducated animal. I hope you find karma soon.
iv never sung or approved singing those songs iv even been pulled up for not singing them by fellow rangers fans. Probably why i dont go to football matches anymore. Last one was 5yrs ago. I have been spat upon and verbally abused and threatened by so called celtic fans. But then it was a bunch of real celtic fans who came along and escorted me to the bus station and stayed to make sure i got on the bus without any more hassle. Horrible unwell Nutcase (H.U.N). lol i think we can agree they are on both sides and the clubs and police need to deal with it
Hey Craigy
The only one spouting vile uneducated claptrap is you. Enlighten us to your world of truth. I spoke no word of hatred but I see from your tone that something affected your to become nasty. So feel free to expand your ideology. And brighten my day be reteaching me history. dissect anything I wrote and re-educate me at your leisure. Do you find the truth vile?
Sending you a loving hug to make you feel loved again. x
Craigy
I think you forgot to tell me that you hope someone slashes me with a razor and wades up their knees in my blood. Also forgot to add WATP after you called me an uneducated animal.
Karma came and got Rangers. They died because you believed your own immortal nonsense. Rangers yesterday Sevco today Nothing is forever. The legal case for dead Rangers is overwhelming. They died of suicide chasing the big cup. Now is that truth or more invective claptrap.
Away and visit the dead clubs undertakers BDO they will confirm everything to your satisfaction. Karma indeed. Rangers fans told Bill Miller to go F**K off back to USA when he dreamt up the incubator theory. Charles Green concurred with the Rangers fans view. Bill Miller was telling them porkies. Without a CVA history is gone. Didn’t get a CVA and mr Green Changed his story once he had the assets of dead club. Yes loving bears come follow Sevco they are the Real Rangers. You can come wade in the blood of non people. Had a charming xmas message that you all bought hook line and sinker too. Think you will find that Rangers fans are prone to listening to clap-trap from their masters. Thats why they died. And thats why Sevco the baby bear, son of the undead father bear allowed Goldilocks King of the three bears to use all their porridge to try and save the second entity to play football at Ibrox.
Now away back to your hate speech club and dream about premier league football. Survival of your new club is questionable at best. But hey dream large dreamers. Karma might come and get your new club just like it got your loving Ragers or is that Angers Fc, then again maybe that Orangers Fc. But unless you find a billionaire willing to part with his cash or a bank thats willing to loan you millions of pounds chances are you’ll be supporting Third Rangers in the amateur leagues.
Invective indeed Craigy
Irony coming form the Team from ibrox who know no bounds when it comes to invective pathology.
Not even Frankenstein claimed that his creation was the same person that died.
as a Lisbon lion ?….our Scottish football bigotry goes away back into our very dark world of spirituality and the birth of Jesus?…. the word GOD …..IS VOID TO MANKIND HERE IN SCOTLAND ….QUOTING POPE JOHN PAUL ….SCOTLAND IS VOID OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY SEE FATIMA .ORG ….MEDUGOIRJE .ORG …..READ MY MISSION ….PETER CAMPBELL REBORN
Until people like yourself gets off the moral hard ground and realises that one side is as bad as the other then we will never move forward. For every rangers song Celtic have an equivalent. You bring up the teacher on Twitter yet you’re too damn ignorant to realise that what you have just written s the exact same double standards. Until you all grow up and accept that one side is as bad as the other instead of trying embarrassingly to take the moral high ground and claim that it’s only a rangers only problem then this problem will never be resolved. Maybe it would help if you grew a pair yourselves and wrote an article condemning BOTH sides equally instead of simply fuelling the beliefs of people with an IQ lower than Henrik Larssons shirt number
Its more than a small group its a large number of sevco don’t kid yourself look at the carry on in Manchester,it was more than a small group,this club need liquidation to sort this out get rid of the scum for good hh
Couldn’t agree more!
Remember the League Cup Final they won before they were liquidated,thousands and thousands of their supporters belting out “up to their knees”and an MSP said it was a great atmosphere,and they blame Catholic schools,no it comes from the homes,how one is brought up,we have got to end this once and for all,I despair……….
Great article James. It would be great if the silent majority of their support could speak up and unite against this sizeable minority who bring shame on themselves, their club and our nation.
No doubt tonight that if any calls broaching this subject reach the phone in, we will be treated to massive doses of whataboutery!
I remember Graham Speirs, a few years ago back on Clyde, actually coming out and stating that Rangers had a significant problem – I think he referred to them as something like a white, Anglo-Saxon underclass – something that was only specific to Rangers.
When Newco started anew in the bottom tier they had the chance to disassociate themselves from this Neanderthal section of their support. We all know how that went!
Finally it irks me when I hear fellow fans of our club saying how much they, and Scottish football, have missed this lot from the top division! If it means not having to listen to the bile we heard yesterday, they can languish in the lower divisions ad infinitum!
Seasons Greetings and keep up the good work James!
Patrick, there is no “silent majority”. You heard the majority yesterday. Sadly, most of the people who attach themselves to an Ibrox entity have little interest in football. It is merely a focal point, or totem pole as JF described it, for them to gather and vent their hate against all things Irish and Catholic.
I sincerely hope Sevco follow Rangers down the toilet. Maybe then someone from the minority of their support, with some cash and genuine interest in football, will step forward and create a club free of the nutters and bigots. Alas, this is a forlorn hope. There is simply not enough of them – the truly non bigoted Rangers football fans – to make it viable.
James good article yet again but I disagree it’s a minority within their support I would say it’s the vast majority of their knuckle dragging support who sing these songs and will continue to do so s they’re getting away with it and re~ comment above about Manchester??
Was that not English thugs who caused all that??
Lol
Hail hail
Well said Bhoybim.
The media in Scotland fails to acknowledge this behaviour as sectarian because it is controlled by those who approve of it. Praising the “atmosphere” is a less than subtle way of telling those of Irish Catholic descent to know their place. The continued support for, and collusion between the media and football authorities to promote, the entity which plays at Ibrox is born of thoroughgoing, deep-rooted bigotry. Any clubs in any other part of the world who had behaved as those two have would find themselves without a single supporter – they would have ceased to exist. I can’t agree that it is a minority of their supporters who indulge in sectarian behaviour or that the majority don’t want these supporters. Bigotry is their raison d’etre. Without it they have nothing. I am quite delighted that they hate me.
Again well said Albert Murphy.
Too true. The E.Times won’t allow any condemnation of the ‘great atmosphere’ on Monday.
Sectarian Sue is given free range to spout her bile…challenges me to reply…when l do it is immediately deleted.
Another contributor who has his name back to front, William King, can write what he likes….
I just hope the SPFL delegate doesn’t try to say his hearing aid was switched off on Monday.
What else can we expect when 400 of the crowns fighting forces were allowed to parade on ibrox and march off singing sectarian song and not a word from the press. Was there any gastapo police at the shack filming as they do at Celtic Park? Did not think so.! Now it is time for Celtic to take a hold and challenge these rules which seem too only apply at Celtic Park. Or only where Celtic play. Yes that shame of Scotland should be put into the gutter from where they came and covered over for ever. That`s even to good for scum.!
Constant surveillance and policing used against a small section at Parkhead who’s major crime is to create atmosphere. Over at Ibrox huge swathes of the crowd indulge in hate speak and are praised for “creating atmosphere” and ignored by the police.
Can someone from the Scottish Government please enlighten my confusion.
Yep Wull, It’s only banter, creating an atmosphere, ah forget it , any which way one looks at it, it’s out and out sectarianism, the problem is, as with racism it only works in one direction. We haven’t a hope unless the SMSM takes up our case and we all know the chances of that.I know what modern Scotland is like down here in South Ayrshire ,where it is reminiscent of the blacks fight in Louisiana, progressive SNP ha don’t make me laugh . Get this sectarianism sorted out, make me feel welcome and a valuable asset to my country then I might think about voting for you.
sorry James but i think you have it the wrong way round as its the vast majority that sing these awful songs.
i know many a sevco fan as im sure most of us do and even though alot can be pleasant and seem normal when in mixed company but when they are with their own and especially when they go to the games their real feelings and views come pouring out. it has been bread into them and its all they know.
funnily enough there are alot of Celtic fans that i know that come from a rangers backgroud but they were big enough to reject all that shite and chose to support Celtic.
The majority of sevco fans were guilty of I yesterday, James. Not a minority, the majority.
It’s not just a few hundred of their supporters and it’s not just the poor working class it’s nationwide and they come from every level in society. They have it bred into them through their sense of entitlement and their “heritage”.
When people go for interviews they are greeted with the handshake or a leading question to find out “what foot you kick with” .
I don’t see this kind of behaviour ever coming to an end in my lifetime and this is why for the sake of my grandchildren I encourage my son to emigrate from this the greatest wee country in the world.(As long as your not from The Irish or a catholic).
In a Papal conspiracy your going to have a little resistance, they ‘know’ their days are numbered. HH
any petition out there to sign ? if there is I’d sign it in a heartbeat in order to draw attention to this scourge on our society!
Whats the point in putting on a Celtic blog,unless only to highlight it, we know James, its time to stop being victims.
The only way to stop it is to complain to the Police,complain to the Media, complain to your MSP, and do not vote for them if they do not listen.
Dont buy the gutter press,Dont subscribe to Sky and tell them why, if they ask.
Use the Green Pound, Bhoycot the sevco matches,Bhoycot the SFA cups.
Put Banners up in the stadium to show your contempt for Bigotory.
if there’s a petition out there I’d sign it in a heartbeat ! get this out there for ALL to see ! not just the guys who read the blogs ! I’m getting seriously sick of the SMSM and all the other clubs ( including our own ) looking the other way being too scared to rock the se\/co boat .
totally agree with everything in MJM post
The media will never truly confront Scotland’s disgusting sectarian shame, sevco will continue to spout their bile against Catholics and Celtic will continue to put thief heads in the sand over a large segment of their fanbase glorifying terrorism, the same fanbase who cling onto a dilluted belief that they are from Ireland !
I have a solution to resolve this disease (at least at football games anyway) most big teams have state of the art cctv systems, at every home game hone into the trouble spots and forcibly eject 20 bigots per game and ban them for life,within a season this will resolve if not at least dilute the problem but, unfortunately this will never happen as bigotry makes money.
About 90% of Sevco songs have some form of anti Catholic hate in them, it’s the way they’ve been brought up. Hatred passed down the line, generation to generation. If the Orange order can walk the streets belting out sectarian songs, what chance do we have of stopping the Sevco bigots.
Politicians, police, SFA, Press, will all have brotherhood people in their ranks.
HH
It ain’t a minority. I watched the match and heard the majority of their fans singing it. By saying it is a minority you too are downsizing the extent of this problem. That aside it’s a good article.
Wulz,
The Black community in the south of America stood up to the white majority and decided enough was enough to racial discrimination,our own people stood up to the loyalist majority in the north of Ireland.
If there is enough support we could stop that bigotory within 12 months,but only if the will is there.
Michael
Agreed, I’d support any movement that would bring a change, from this bigotry.
HH
As long as the tens of thousands are referred to as a small minority the police and the football authorities will do nothing about it..
You say they don’t represent Scotland but there are an awful lot of them about.When will the Scottish Government get on its hind legs and do something about it?
Oh I forgot they really don’t do much about anything!