Another live game at the weekend and another week where the viewers were subjected to audible bile directed at the Roman Catholic and the Irish immigrant community in Scotland.
Is it any wonder that the majority of those not from Glasgow view Glaswegians as Neanderthals when they’re subjected to that on their television set on a Sunday?
Last night, I paid the subscription fee to watch Celtic’s trip to Tannadice, knowing that it would be a truly classic cup clash and I wasn’t disappointed.
But shortly after the elation of the second goal I was disgusted to hear the known anti-Protestant dirge ‘Roamin In The Gloamin’.
This is a song that triggers me just as much as The Famine Song or the Billy Boys, not because I am a Protestant (I’m not by the way) but because I am proud of the fact that Celtic FC were ALWAYS a club open to all.
We never operated a nakedly sectarian signing policy. We didn’t have fans who baulked at the signing of a member of the Church of Scotland. We don’t have fans who have openly abused an Irish Catholic who had the temerity to play for and manage Celtic and be openly proud of his identity.
There’s a lyric in this ‘song’ that states “f**k King Billy and John Knox”
This is outwardly, obviously, sectarian.
I am sick to my teeth of supposed Celtic fans indulging in tit for twat idiocy when it comes to dealing with Sevco. They have gutter dwelling sewer rats who glorify in the most disgusting acts. No Celtic fan belongs anywhere near those cretins. You would not laugh at a domestic abuse victim, or a cancer fighter or someone with a disability. Why indulge in this shit?
There is a section of our support which is every bit as bad as them.
Let me state this point crystal clear.
There are more Church of Scotland members who are not fans of Sevco then there are who are who would self-define that way.
I socialise and work with many of them.
They have the same revulsion for the sectarian and racist bile which has occasionally been directed at me from the Ibrox supporters than I do. They are decent, hardworking, left-leaning patriotic Scots. But when you insult the founder of their church you insult them.
Your fellow Scots. Your brothers and sisters in the fight for independence. The future of a better and brighter Scotland. And you insult me. You insult the 100,000s of Irish Protestants who fled the famine seeking a better life in Scotland. You insult the decent Scots.
Take this shit out of the game … and get it a million miles away from our club.
Wipe the shit of guilt by association off our shoes.
I have to accept that Civic Scotland does not have the energy or temerity to tackle bigots attaching themselves to organisations that deny my right to live in Scotland, and merely exist, but I simply will not – I refuse to – accept that from my brothers and sisters in the hoops.
Wise up and boot it out, fellow Celtic fans, before it does our club real harm.
Ross Taylor is a Celtic fan and occasionally contributor to the site.
Absolutely spot on m8
Well said …..I Agree 100%
Agree 100# with this article .
100% Agree with you James.Anyone who sings that dross is at best mentally challenged and at worse Huns with Celtic tops on. Jock Stein, King Kenny etc. It’s a pile of steaming horse crap too, I don’t know of any of my mates that still go to mass but we are all tims. Is it not my club because I’m no longer a Catholic. It’s like the IRA stuff if you were to ask the vast majority of these cretins about theology or Republican history they would be clueless.
Agree 100%. Well said.
Here Here & Hail Hail, my fellow Celtic supporter, excellent article.
Maybe some of those singing this bile need reminded about our values & history (really think about it). Many, many servants & supporters of our wonderful club, to use the modern parlance identify as Protestants. Please don’t destroy hard fought legacies by stooping to another club’s supporters levels. Let’s not lose our place on the moral high ground?
Agree 100%. I commented this in an article earlier this week and someone replied they never mentioned or had heard anti-Protestant singing. Laughable. This together with IRA singing…it’s all a total disgrace and while I care if other fans behave badly and need to stop, yes I do….but this is Celtic and it frankly makes me ashamed of our fans and our club. Our club and fans need to do more to stamp it out. We are open to all, live that or frankly we don’t need you supporting our team.
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I can’t see it disappearing any time soon, unfortunately. It’s been around for so long. I’m sure policing it isn’t the answer but I don’t know what is. Some people it appears simply feel a need to hate another group to shore up their own identity. The best I can think of is to express, as you have done, disapproval when we hear it and to continue to treat everyone with respect.
Well said. There’s no place for sectarianism at a club open to all.
I absolutely agree with Ross,in this ,the Moderator of the Church of Scotland in the late 1970s was a great Celtic Supporter and he was the top Protestant of that time as was Big Jock, and alot of our players as well,so get a grip boys and let’s not be like them we are a tolerant non bigoted and non sectarian support open to all regardless of colour and creed
Well said .I stopped taking my girls to Celtic Park many moons ago because of this type of crap You are right to speak up.
I couldn’t agree more Ross, our club was built on all being welcome no matter what. The only stipulation was can you play and wee Bertie, God rest his soul, never tired of iterating that point. Some of our best players have been Protestant, Gemmell, Dalglish McGrain, Bertie himself and I’m almost certain CalMac is too and as long as they put in a shift when they’re on the park I couldn’t care less about anything else. I’d say for the most part our support self-police but we do fall down in this area and we can’t call out the Ibrox club if we’re as bad. I know it’s not on the same scale either but it’s still there and it shouldn’t be in society never mind Celtic Park. Our support need to stamp on it or the “two sides of the same coin” argument will stick for good. If we don’t stamp on it we’re condoning it and that isn’t the look any of our supporters want for our club.