Anyone in Scotland who was surprised by the scenes yesterday in Glasgow have clearly not been paying attention.
Probably ever…
This is how the feral fans of the Ibrox franchise express themselves.
For the avoidance of doubt, if they can’t find a nearby Fenian, then they will vent their rage on each other.
There is a degree of Pavlovian automaticity to it all.
No one with even a passing knowledge of the Ibrox klanbase could have been blindsided by what unfolded.
In the lead up to yesterday’s Fascist street theatre, the authorities in Fair Caledonia were, at best, weak and hesitant.
It was along the lines of “please be good as we don’t want any unpleasantness”.
Oh, dear…
Dear reader, lynch mobs can smell weakness.
Today the folks in charge of the regional assembly in Edinburgh appear surprised at the chaos and did their best to manifest some moral outrage.
The Justice Secretary can bring himself to mention the fact that the Ibrox mob was espousing “anti-Catholic prejudice”.
However, they still come across as squeamish on the issue of anti-Irish racism.
I am convinced that Humza knows fine well that anti-Catholic hatred is only part of the belief system that energised the George Square rioters.
He has been told of this issue on many occasions by representatives of the Irish community.
If he is in any way confused, he can contact the good folks at @Call-It-Out
Despite it all, he still cannot come to utter the words “anti-Irish racism”, and neither, apparently, can his boss.
Here is the whole thread:
The term “anti-Catholic prejudice” seems to be the party line today.
However, any visiting sociologist would only need 48 hours of participant observation on the Ibrox klanbase to establish the facts.
That hatred of the Irish and Irishness is what defines them.
This put it rather well.
The favoured anthem of the Ibrox underclass is the Billy Boys.
To the tune of “Marching through Georgia,” it lovingly recalls the violent heyday of a Glasgow street gang from the inter-war years, which was led by their eponymous leader Billy Fullerton.
He was a self-declared Fascist and member of the Ku Klux Klan.
When UEFA banned the Billy Boys song in 2006, the Ibrox klanbase had to come up with a new ditty to express their ancient hatreds.
The Famine Song should have put to bed any questions about whether or not the Ibrox illiterati define themselves by anti-Irish racism.
They were imploring Glasgow’s multi-generational Irish community to “go home” to Ireland.
However, in a paradoxical communication that would make R D Laing wince, any legitimate expressions of Irishness are derided as “plastic”.
This nasty form of racism is not confined to the cheap seats at Ibrox. Indeed, it can be found among people who would publicly declare their anti-racist credentials.
The controversy over the Famine Song was in 2008.
It was even raised in the European Union Parliament in Strasbourg by Irish MEP Eoin Ryan.
Yet despite all of that, the shills in the Fitba Fourth estate couldn’t bring themselves to use the term “anti-Irish racism”.
It isn’t just the Stenography Corps who fails on this one.
Despite a hillside of evidence every time the Ibrox klanbase gathers, the political leaders of nice new multi-cultural Scotland cannot even utter that basic truth.
Even after yesterday…
The shambles the SNP led Glasgow City Council made of the Famine Memorial is a lasting physical reminder of the lack of respect that they showed the city’s largest ethnic minority.
Thankfully the Irish in Glasgow had seen enough and mobilised to build their own!
So, the day after yet another klan riot in Glasgow, here are some inconvenient truths for the folks in Holyrood:
Your country has a far-right problem of some considerable size.
It defines itself, in the first instance, by anti-Irish racism.
Moreover, this fascist underclass can be easily mobilised onto the streets by some readily available dog whistles on social media.
Despite the tolerance shown to it by the Holyrood political class, this uber-British subculture also has a visceral antipathy to the concept of Scotland as an independent sovereign country.
Consequently, those within the SNP, who might possibly unconsciously harbour some prejudicial attitudes towards Scotland’s multi-generational Irish community, might want to have a wee word with themselves.
However, if they did, I would certainly be surprised.
I really would…
Indeed, the SNP would need to be under new management for the current situation to change.
Here is someone who actually gets it and is not afraid to call it out.
Sadly, there is little chance of that happening any time soon.
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Rangers followers are the modern day brown shirts, triumphant in hatred, vandalism destruction, marching and trampling all in its path, chanting songs of disgusting illusion, brain washed all of them, the entitlement mindset that never questions reason, support for this enduring abscess is strongest amount the silent majority, lending its approval is what feeds them, complicit media that plays it down with damage limitation stories, silently murmuring under their breaths We are the people, the only place this is taking us is the abyss, as a civilised society if we all don’t stand up now and call this out for what it is then expect more of the same, that same ignorant hatred and violence that’s been targeted towards Irish catholics since they first ever came to make Scotland their home
There is a quite simple solution. The Sports Minister should insist that sevco are closed down for a period of time. Say initially 1-2 months. Any matches they should have played be recorded as 0-3 to the opposition.
Any further misdemeanours, then add further period of closure.
In my opinion, it is by hitting their football club that will bring about change in attitudes. The old sectarian arguments and analyses of their character simply go round in circles and are powerless to change anything.
Hit their club, including billing them for the damage to George Square and loss of business etc. That might work. Policing them is useless. I think the polis were celebrating too.
Completely agree the issues at the weekend were merely the symptoms of an underlying disease in Scottish society (and that’s all of Scotland, this “west coast” myth needs put to bes too). I actually, from an academic standpoint, would agree if Sevco came out and argued they have no control over a private citizen in a public place. This was on the police. They badly let the people of Glasgow down, through indulgence.
However, what sevco CAN control is the behaviour of their employees within their own premises. The video making the rounds of twitter showing almost all the sevco squad chanting “f**k the Pope” is surely a very serious matter, which UEFA should be very interested in. This is the sort of thing a player (or in this case an entire club) could be reasonably expected to receive a several match ban for. Were I a gambling man, though, I’d wager my house that no more comes from it…
Scotland is not a modern all welcoming country, it’s not ready for indipendance.
The gov needs to show some grit and make sure the people who run the Scottish institutions treat everyone the same or remove them from office including the SFA , police etc
This is why more than a few people in Scotland with an Irish heritage are not especially keen to see an independent Scotland.
We have watched our police escort illegal marches from Ibrox to George Square, and then stand idly by while they parade their racist hatred for all to see, twice in the last two months.
Everyone knew this was going to happen yet the authorities appeared powerless to stop it. The tweet you quoted was correct; they can bring Glasgow to a standstill any time they like, because they know that the authorities have not the power, or the inclination to stop them.
The ‘warnings’ from the Scottish Government and from Ibrox were a joke, and were interpreted by Sevco fans in the expected way.
An independent Scotland, although something that very few Sevco types would welcome, would inevitably result in those very people consolidating their influence to the detriment of the rest of us; we’d be turning the clock back 50 years.
ps at least we know that the Squinty Bridge is strong enough to support a few thousand people, but am I the only one who was half-hoping, well, you know…?
I must confess it’s taken some time for me to get your constant reference to anti-Irish racism as opposed to ‘sectarianism’. Now that I do I will be writing my MSP asking his support to designate the klanbase as racists. Fuck me for being an idiot, but if we could force a change of designation from sectarianism to racism we would literally shut them down in an instant. I will let you know how I get on.
I doubt that the authorities will take any such action.
It is the acceptable racism in Scotland.
It seems very unlikely that no-one has ever approached BBC Scotland to produce a documentary looking at the lived experiences of anti catholic/irish racism in Scotland. I cant imagine they would struggle to find people from all walks of life who have been asked at work what school they went to, had to listen to their songbook on the streets, terraces and public transport or why they might avoid city centres during the walking season.
Could it be any such documentary would struggle to avoid continually mentioning its epicentre down Govan way?
They have rightfully not been so hesitant in the past when it comes to other minority groups…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00098n0
Yes their club died after being caught cheating on a grand scale but no one can deny the fanbase of the old club is alive and kicking, Same old huns, same old poisoned attitudes, yes they were liquidated, but the mindset was not.
What more could you possibly expect from Europe’s most racist club? A championship lost isn’t ideal, but it’s much worse to have ‘fans’ like Sevco. They basically hate everything that breathes-including each other.
There are some clubs in the Balkans, in the former Yugoslavia, with awful baggage.
What is extant in Scotland is a klanbase at Ibrox that has been indulged for generations.
My son was listening to sky sports news yesterday when I heard a rendition of the Famine Song. OK they weren’t singing the “forbidden” words but they must have known what they were doing. Sky sports news FFS on a Saturday afternoon!!!
‘Individual Responsibility’. That was the key words from the SNP in the run up to this latest episode from knuckle draggers are us., which, basically, was a green light from the SNP for the marauding hordes to do as they pleased…and at a time when covid is on the rise in Glasgow. Speaking of knuckle draggers, if reports are true, one of them only has 71/2 knuckles left to drag. How flippin stupid must you be to blow off half of your hand….
Stupid enough to think a Club that’s 9 years old has won 55 Titles 🤷🏻♂️
Anyone affected please cite the following when registering a criminal complaint about Anti Irish Racism:
S.50A of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/39/section/50
#Abu
Well that’s The Rangers supporters just doing what they do, yet again: they don’t know any better.
The stupid people – myself included – are those who still support the Scottish game today,
even when the opportunity to finally sort out the bad behaviours at Ibrox was staunchly ignored back in 2012.
And why should anyone expect The Rangers club and its support to behave any better in 2021 – or in the future?
The SNP and Labour Party have been in power since the Scottish parliament came into being in 1999 yet although both of them have a sizable membership and support from the Irish diaspora in Scotland which in some cases like my own goes back several generations, none of them have had the courage to call out this racism. To dress it up just as only anti Catholic sectarianism . Is nothing but a cop out.
There football license and membership to the sofa and spl should be revoked and withdrawn without hesitation. The first time was unforgivable and yesterday just shouldn’t have happened. Wrong on every level.
Scotland’s Shame n they will get away with it as usual a small minority did it , they should not have been allowed to mass up as everyone knew what would happen especially us in Glasgow 😷🙈🙉🙊
So, next weekend , irrespective of who wins the Scottish Cup, can we expect the same liberal approach from Police Scotland if, god forbid, the winners fans show their appreciation in a dignified manner in Perth or Edinburgh?
Bitter, sectarian, hate filled, filthy,bigoted club and followers…. Since they were born,till they died.Newco , worse .
The after match march into George Square was no secret.
Yes the police were outnumbered but why the hell wasn’t a battery of water cannons stood waiting for the mob.
That would have cleared the area in no time at all.
As a Glasgow Council Tax Payer I trust that the bill for cleaning up George Square is already winging its way to Ibrox, if not why not?
Given the number of photos doing the rounds it shouldn’t be too difficult to identify those who resorted to violence and vandalism and Police Scotland should be making dozens of arrests to joint the paltry 20 odd that they managed on the day.
Hampden, Newcastle, Barcelona, Manchester have all been privy in the past, win or lose, to the behaviour of an entitled fan base who think they can do as they please without repercussions.
Given the already rising Covid cases in the Glasgow area Saturday could turn out to be a super spreader amongst the thousands who turned up and then took the virus home with them to infect family and friends.