If you’ve been following events online involving the Ibrox fan group The Union Bears this past 24 hours, and you can’t have missed it if you follow football in Scotland online at all, then it should be clear that civic Scotland is going to have one Hell of decision to make in the next fortnight.
The Unions Bears have circulated one of their demented communiques, urging their members and nutty followers to congregate in George Square after the game at Ibrox should they win, so that they can celebrate … and show the city belongs to them.
First, I don’t expect us to lose that game … still, this is disgraceful.
The supremacist reek of that statement is one thing, but what it amounts to is that they are pre-announcing their intentions to mount a hostile takeover of a major city centre area, and turn it into their own wee Nuremberg Rally. The sentiment is clear. The connotations are not something that you need a code-book to unlock and comprehend.
This is illegal. It will be discriminatory by its very nature. It will be a highly unwelcome spectacle for tourism and a nightmare for local businesses … and Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, need to be very clear that it will not be permitted to happen.
No dubiety, no half-assed statements about how the situation will be “monitored.” The last time they held such a gathering they wrecked the place, fought with each other and then turned on the police themselves as anyone could have predicted after mass lawlessness was allowed to go unchecked in the first place. No, this one has to be stomped on before it starts.
Title parties in the areas of Glasgow where Celtic fans usually congregate anyway are one thing; George Square is the civic centre, it belongs to all of us, and this is not a title party or anything like it; this is a rally designed to intimidate and express dominance, and that ought to be pretty clear from the wording. If Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland allows that, what’s next?
What happens if there are counter-demos? What happens if The Green Brigade next puts out its own statement urging our fans to get together there if we win? That would be just as unwelcome and just as incendiary and I would not expect that to go ahead any more than I would want this to. Because that’s one bad, hard, dangerous road we’re starting down if it does.
This city is not perfect, but it’s a triumph of our history and people that we have never become Belfast and none but a tiny handful wish it were otherwise. The loathing between these clubs has never been more visceral and the poison that flows out of their stands in particular has never been more bitter or savage, and a lot of their fans spend too much of their time mesmerised by dark obsessions and conspiracy theories, and those are not great conditions for allowing organised events designed to express ownership of this city.
The potential consequences of this are enormous, and that is why it cannot be allowed to happen, and statements to that effect should not be delayed but released immediately and the harshest measures threatened for anyone who attempts it.
Ibrox is a unionist hub which happens to have a football team.
The MSPs, Glasgow Council, Police etc had plenty to say about stopping our last celebrations and making the club pay for clean up, I don’t hear any noise coming from any of them over this, I wonder why.
Gotta laugh though – sevco see the thought of a home win over us as we see winning the league lol
What a little team we little team mentality they are.
All hypothetical oh course lol
HG
You’ve echoed perfectly the thoughts expressed in the next article 🙂
I feel exactly the same way about it mate.
how low have they fallen they want to have a party just for winning a game against us
HOW PATHETIC AND TOTALLY EMBARRASSING.
Then again it’s not about football at all
Its about superiority.
Even with that they should be derided at every turn that they are trying to organise a PARTY if and only if, they win a game against us at ibrokes on the 4th game of the season
: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”
James we are getting to this stage unless this mob are rooted out. They are going to kill football in scotland as a safe place to support your team. The kid gloves bullshit words will achieve nothing with this mob .
The 3rd piece of carnage awaits George Square unless this is dealt with
They will likely get an escort.
Such a ridiculous, antagonistic idea…that it will probably happen? 🙁
We’ve seen the trashing of George Square twice, and assorted
marches to Ibrox – with a Police escort – singing dodgy songs and
giving fascsist salutes.
sevco, the GCC – and the SPFL itself – will probably just look the other way again.
COMMENT REMOVED BECAUSE THE POSTER IS A RACIST AND A BIGOT.
Think you’ve wandered into the wrong page,right wing rage is over on Follow Follow you racist mental case
??
No offence Jack but could you please re-rant this in English? Thanks
Yes Hanjir that lunatic raving of jack was a hard read,I couldn’t make head nor tail of most of it,he’s never heard of punctuation either,all in all a rabid right wing rant.
What a wonderful example of humanity you are. I think you’d feel more at home at Ibrox.
I will try again where are the Mods please remove this Rant.
I hear you brother. It’s now gone. Thanks to everyone who pointed it out.
That Rant does not belong on this site !!!
Disgusting comment. Thanks to those who pointed this loon out to me.
Espanyolification is complete now and the UB’s are too dumb to see it, planned mass takeovers of a City Centre to celebrate the winning of a Trophy, League, Treble, none of these but to celebrate the winning of a single game.
That’s the actions of the fans of a big club lol, NO CHANCE that’s the actions of a small club who’s fans are so overwhelmed with joy at beating their rivals that they celebrate the winning of a single victory over them lol.
On behalf of the decent citizens of Scotland that have no interest in football’s and society’s bigots the SNP government need to show some governance, the GCC Local Authority need to show some authority and the police need to show that their self confessed discrimination is no longer discriminatory.
Stop the parades, stop the marches and stop pretending. HH
I have said since this mob came back from the dead they are more bitter than the old rangers
I actually didn’t think it was possible for that klub’s gutter fanbase to embarrass themselves any further, but as I’m reading my msg back-how stupid am I..!!
Celtic should spend a few million more before the window closes to make sure that there will be no reason for celebration. Don’t just beat them but make sure they’re all well-scattered back home by the end of the 90 minutes
Wankers
Why would we shocked or surprised by this,we grew up with this sectarian scumbag attitude and in this day and age just makes it all the more disgusting and disgraceful
I’m first a Glaswegin then a
Cèltic Supporter who lives in the eastend of Glasgow, I’m all for supporting your team whoever they are, but to put out a plan to meet up in a city centre and to tell everyone that the city is theirs is typical of Rangers fans doing what they want and nobody can do anything about it, it’s why no Cèltic fans will be at Ibrox they cannot guarantee our safety, so how can they make Glasgow City Centre safe for anyone….
This is dangerous for all but I think police Scotland and Glasgow city council will give them the go-ahead.
Yes Hanjir that lunatic raving of jack was a hard read,I couldn’t make head nor tail of most of it,he’s never heard of punctuation either,all in all a rabid right wing rant.
What an absolute disgrace that racist rant above is. Embarrassing to see it on this site.
Moderation clearly isn’t working James if that sort of hun nonsense makes it to publishing. Jack off