There is a difference between Us and Them.
This is what I always hear.
For a while at Tannadice the other night, a section of our support seemed almost madly determined to erase that line. But since then, something not altogether unexpected has happened.
We’ve shown what that difference is.
The great majority of Celtic fans has done what the great majority of our neighbour’s fans has failed, consistently failed, to do.
They have spoken up and spoken out. They have condemned.
From every blog and forum, the message has rung out; this stuff is unacceptable.
It does not belong at Celtic and if you continue to do it first you will be shamed and then you’ll be turned out and you can find some other vehicle for your anti-social outlook.
I am proud of the way this has been dealt with by our fans, and whilst I don’t kid myself that it’s likely that these songs will simply disappear overnight, I do believe that a turning point has been reached and we’ll see those who do indulge in it firstly alienated within the stands and then confronted by the club. That combination will end it.
This support built its reputation over years.
A handful of ignorant goons aren’t going to be allowed to tarnish it, not in any way shape or form.
Celtic is yet to comment – but I expect that they will.
But the initial backlash had to come from us, from the fans, from those who care about the reputation of the club and more; those of us who genuinely believe it when Celtic is advertised as a “club open to all.”
And that is what makes us different.
We aren’t paying lip-service to this concept in the interests of PR.
It is an article of faith. It is in our DNA.
Celtic has been one of the few institutions in this country which truly makes all feel welcome beneath its roof … and that allowed many, many thousands of folk to make friends and put down roots within its orbit.
Nobody gets to jeopardise that, it is too important.
This club has never had an exclusionary outlook, and that’s why so many of us value it is as one of the most important things in our lives. Anybody who thinks they’re going to harm that … guess again.
What these people have perhaps failed to grasp is that this isn’t a convenient slogan to make us sound better than we are.
Some of us passionately believe in and care about that idea … and we will fight for it.
Totally agree with this article, it should never be allowed to fester in our club. Hail Hail!!
We have to stand up. Celtic is a club for all – or it is nothing. This problem will be hard to solve. Let’s not hide behind “it’s a small minority”. It is a significant number of people. Thank you James for highlighting this through your forums. HOWEVER, some of the comment replies are sectarian. If we are to stand up then this blog has to stand up and ban such commenters. No excuse, zero tolerance. If we do not start here and do that then we cannot write about making a stand. If we and this blog seek the moral high ground you have to act.
I haven’t seen any blatantly sectarian replies, though there have been a handful of “what’s the problem?” posts by clowns. And at the games it is indeed a small minority out of the masses there that do this. That is the truth, we’re not sevconians trying to brush this off as the actions of a few when it’s being belted out of all sides of the ground.
That the response across Tim cyberspace has massively been in favour of eradicating this poison is heartwarming, encouraging, and the polar opposite of the response you get every single time the scum are caught up to their knees…
A reply a few days ago said “…they are all Orange B******* anyway”. Another said he’d never heard an anti-protestant song at Celtic Park. It was on the first article on this topic. Less strong but also just childish and unnecessary are use of “huns” and even calling people “scum”…..I just dont get this sort of language its totally unnecessary. You have used that to make your point. I have heard also “Cheer Up Person X OH what can it mean to a Orange B****** and a Shite Football Team” the tune of Cheer Up Sleepy Jean belted out from all stands at Celtic Park many many many times., Or referee “Dirty Orange B******” regularly from thousands of people. It may be a minority but its thousdans probably tens of thousands of people. It has been great to see the comment here 99% supporting stopping this, thats terrific.
Hun is not sectarian, no matter what they claim. Orangism is a step beyond mere protestantism and I reckon there’s a debate to be had re: is it really sectarian to call an orangeman a bastard? Most protestants couldn’t care less about any catholic stuff but an orangeman is a member of that organisation purely for hateful reasons. I don’t hate muslims but I’ll call Al Qaeda or ISIS or whatever all the bastards under the sun – am I wrong to do so?
I call them “scum” not because of their religion but because they have repeatedly lived up to that description over every year of my life. I don’t refer to fans of any other club as such (except the more orange-y element at Hearts) and those fans are mostly protestant. When I would go to games at the old CP when I was a kid and you’d hear regularly hear “Orange bastards” shouted at practically any opposition. It’s not like that now, and if we can shut these clowns down then great but let’s not pretend that the hordes of hunnery are somehow being unnecessarily maligned when we tell the truth about their levels of hatred.
Whether these are formally sectarian or racist or not is in my view a distraction. the point is it’s all unnecessary. We should be above that. The semantics are not important the optics are. I detest how Ibrox tolerates the anti Catholic Irish abuse and the wider discrimination in Scottish and British society. But I also detest Celtic people engaging in the sort of language you are trying to justify. This site in my view should set a higher standard and not promulgate or prolong the use of such terms. It’s the start of taking a stand or do we just pretend we are better?
We should be above that? This isn’t a petty football rivalry squabble here FFS. The day they stop dreaming of being knee-deep in our blood and stop behaving like violent thugs even when they win is the day I consider not calling them huns. I’m not out screaming invective at them in the streets, I’m not sending them to Accident & Emergency (or worse) for wearing the wrong type of shirt. We are not the ones perpetuating this problem and if there was some kind of acknowledgment of that reality from them and an concerted effort to do something about it instead of the usual pish we hear about banter and such then we could start making progress. I don’t see such a day occurring anytime soon, do you?
This country wasted a chance to rid itself of a focal point of poisonous hatred in 2012. If only we could have killed the klub…eventually the hate might have faded away. One can only hope that their inevitable third incarnation screws the nut and publicly ditches the bigot baggage from day one, i.e. this is a new Rangers, no Billy Boys or Famine songs here or yer barred for life!
Let’s be clear here. What the fans of that other club engage in is technically hate crimes as a result of their abusive verbal attacks on people of Irish and or Catholic backgrounds. It is clearly unacceptable to responsible, fair minded people. The fact that Scottish society and all the institutions within allow this to continue is national scandal. There has rarely been two sides to this, but any indication that our fans are responding to this ongoing abuse through engaging in the same unacceptable, damaging and unlawful behaviour needs to be addressed fully by our Club. It needs to be stopped before we are drawn down into the mire with the right wing, racist, bigoted deluded supremacists that approach everyone and everything through a haze of hatred and detestation. We are nothing like them, never have been and we need to work hard against any movement towards this kind of lamentable behaviour. Hail hail!
I live in Belfast, and all of my family here are Celtic supporters, from sons, grandsons nephews and nieces. They travel to many games, as many as they can. They love the atmosphere that the Celtic family have. You are correct when you say that sort of singing does not belong within the Celtic support and tradition. Everyone who supports Celtic no matter religion or race should always feel welcome.
Been saying this for months. At the away games it got louder, then at Parkhead it gradually creeped in.
WE’ve got songs that any club in the world envy.
We are better than that!!!
Totally agree with your article.
There are hundreds of songs which celebrate our club and players. They celebrate our achievements and our history. They celebrate Celtic. When those songs are sung that is the Celtic support at their very best. Messi, Maldini, Xavi and many more agree.
A Support like no other.
Pete St John (Peter Mooney) passed away 12 March 2022 in Dublin. Most know he wrote the lyrics of Fields of Athenry. It was sung when Liverpool played Celtic FC.
Could the Fans ask Bono and Sir Rod Stewart to trawl Irish and Scottish music for apt
songs to sing at Celtic matches. What about “Dirty Old Town” a song about an Irish immigrant in London. Also, when Celtic win; “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”.
Four (right number) musician or song writing fans could get together and write some new songs to celebrate the grand history of Celtic. This could be the best suggestion of all..
Stevie’s suggestion is the best. I skipped over his comment by being too keen to write mine.
CORRECTION: The Gaels of Scotland were a Celtic tribe so sing
“When Celtic Eyes are Smiling”. This is more inclusive. However, Anthropologists with the help of genomic studies are now saying very few Celts established communities in Ireland.
What to do if the singers of bad songs are not convinced to desist.
It would work best at Celtic Park. Have a choir of strong voices to start the good songs thus drowning out the bad songs. There is a time for singing:- Before the game starts and restarts after half-time. When a goal is scored. During injury time-out. When the game is over. There are Clubs whose fans sing one song after another, for too long; to the annoyance of patrons. You need to be able to speak clearly to your mates, wife or children during the game. “Less is More”.
I’ll get out of your way now.