A recurring theme on this site since it started in 2008 was that the Ibrox matchday experience was a safe space for racists.
A central tenet of that subculture was anti-Irish racism.
In that, they were echoing the common sense of Edwardian Scotland.
By then, the Irish had become thoroughly racialised and othered.
This was the Scotland that didn’t think that the report of the Church and Nation Committee in 1923 about ”The menace of the Irish race to our Scottish nationality” was a racist tract.
In fairness to the Church, they apologised for this twenty years ago.
The new millennium and all that.
However, anti-Irish racism was still on full throttle at |Ibrox. Only a few years after the Church chaps apologised for the racism of their predecessors, the Ibrox klanbase came up with the Famine Song.
That racist ditty that mocked the survivors and descendants of An Gorta Mór had been added to the Ibrox song sheet after UEFA had banned their preferred anthem, the Billy Boys.
I do not know if any other group of football supporters in Britain remember in song a street gang led by a member of the Ku Klux Klan and self-identifying fascist from the Mosley era.
Billy Fullerton, who is the featured image, is a strange hero for anyone who isn’t a racist.
In the Glasgow of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the Catholic Irish rather than African Americans who were his targets.
However, he shared the supremacist mindset of his Stateside Brethern.
At the time(2008), I wrote that if you implicitly authorise one type of racism, do not be surprised if you leave the door open for other variants.
Therefore, the experience of Bobby Nwanze is utterly unsurprising.
You can read it in full here.
“To be honest, I am often apprehensive about going to live games due to the elements of racism that can occur there. But my friend Abie, John and I decided to go through for the Scottish Cup tie as we thought it would be a nice family friendly atmosphere with it being the fourth round of the cup.”
Once more:
“I am often apprehensive about going to live games due to the elements of racism that can occur there.”
Until the Fitba Fourth Estate learns new terms like “anti-Irish racism” and join us vertebrates, then the Ibrox klanbase will continue as they have done since the time of Billy Fullerton and his fascist thugs.
Until that happens, not even their own fans are safe.
Meanwhile, he becomes a racist himself by obviously condoning, enjoying even, dittys like the Famine song and the Billy Boys. Like Lordmac, it doesn`t wash with me.
Why didn`t he choose Celtic?
I’ve never understood why someone other than a white protestant would support the club from ibrox. There’s an Asian guy who jumps about with their support, joining in with their songs. It’s unbelievable
I find it strange that Mr Nwanze says he’s heard some racist songs at Ipox yet continues to support the team. Why oh why is he surprised when he becomes a victim of the same peepul? It’s a heidscratcher right enough! HH
The unfortunate fellow (Bobby) has empathy from Glasgow’s green side. But he’s obviously aware of the ‘Billy Boys’ song, and its warped derivations. It’s been chanted for decades by the Ibrox hordes. Goldson, Tavernier et al, can conveniently close their ears to it. But everything remains static at Sevco.
“Vertebrates” … says it all.
In the link he is pictured with his uncle Sir Geoff Palmer. I’m assuming this is the same Sir Geoff Palmer the Edinburgh academic currently in a spat with Sir Tom Devine over comments regarding Henry Dundas and slavery. Bit of an odd coincidence.
I have little, make that NO sympathy for anyone at Ibrox who is targeted by his own “fellow supporters” for ANY reason. If you support that team you know their hymn book, and by attending their matches clearly that is okay for you. If it suddenly backfires on you, well tough fuckin titty!!
The guy must be walking about with his fingers in his ears at games and to make a statement he supported them because there are a lot of coloured players in the team doesn’t wash with me, their are loads of teams multicultural there was no mention of this before him being a journalist or drinking and driving when in a pub yes but your ears tells you all you need to know about the club you follow and the BBC would have keep him wise to that BBC and rangers have form
The everyhun anyhun campaign is proving to be a roaring success!