Where Was Sky’s Apology To Viewers During The Weekend’s Sectarian Sing-A-Thon?

A couple of weeks ago, Sky Sports turned down the microphones lest a group of people exercising their freedom of speech offend its audience.

It was a Celtic game, so forgive me if I assume that a lot of the viewers they were worried about offending were tuning it specifically so that they could be offended.

Sky robbed them of that, but apologised to them anyway.

I found the apology itself lamentable. What exactly was the concern? Scotland is a country that is deeply divided on constitutional issues, and a suggestion that people who hate the monarchy should express that by clapping is one of the nicer ways to express that view. An estimated 50% of the audience agreed, and not just Celtic fans.

So we apologise to half of the country because the other half of it doesn’t share their opinion? It made you wonder what else Sky Sports might apologise for.

Well we got our answer on Saturday, as a stream of bigoted bile poured out of our television speakers without anyone thinking of turning it down. There was no apology for those of us who had to listen to this pure poison.

The Ibrox fan’s sectarian song-book is not only morally indefensible, it’s illegal.

All that “up to their knees in fenian blood” stuff is against the law.

It’s racist. It’s hate-speech. This is not protected in any way, shape or form.

Let’s not sugar coat this; Sky sought to protect people from opinions they might not a fortnight ago whilst at the weekend subjecting all of us to fascistic chants preaching ethnic cleansing.

They clearly have their priorities, and will not say sorry for that.

In a week where they’ve signed a new contract to cover Scottish football, we are once against reminded of their penchant for double standards. Anti-Catholic bigotry is what it’s always been; the last “acceptable” form of hatred.

The media which lambasted our fans for wholly legitimate protest against the monarchy has been stone silent on the atrocious singing of the Ibrox choir of hate.

It is not only Sky who refuse to take seriously Scottish football “unacceptable face.”