I cannot imagine anyone watching Martin Scorsese’s epic Gangs of New York without realising that the character William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting was the villain of the piece.
Daniel Day-Lewis is at his messianic hypnotic best as the nativist mass murderer in 19th century Manhattan.
Cutting is based on a real person from the period, William Poole, also known as “Bill the Butcher”.
The nativist leader led a gang of racist thugs who wanted to eject the Irish Catholics from New York.
In that, the Scorcese film accurately depicts what was happening in Manhattan as it was flooded with those fleeing the Ireland that An Gorta Mór had created.
Here he is with Daniel Day-Lewis discussing the genesis of this epic movie and why it was important to tell this story.
There is no doubt that William Poole and his fellow nativists hated all Irish Catholics.
So those who wish to learn more about this aspect of the American melting pot story, I thoroughly recommend this work by Noel Ignatiev.
So, that’s the background to why someone in the Ibrox klanbase thought that the featured Image was an appropriate tifo for their match against PSV.
Scottish novelist Christopher Brookmyre perfectly captured the diseased thought process behind the Tifo.
In 2006, UEFA ruled that the song The Billy Boys fell under discriminatory chanting.
The Ibrox klanbase were bereft; they desperately needed another musical expression of that which defines them:
Anti-Irish racism.
By the start of season 2008-2009, they had the Famine Song.
In case the Tifo was too subtle, some of the lyrics from The Billy Boys were added for clarification purposes.
One thing to consider is the role of the Sevco High Command in this display.
Given the sheer size of the Tifo, we can rule out the possibility that it was smuggled into the stadium that Mr John Brown played for.
Consequently, this Ibrox-affiliated chap makes a good point.
For the avoidance of doubt, the usual succulent suspects in the Stenography Corps will be as silent as possible on this racist performance art.
Sadly, some in Fair Caledonia were able to bend the entire thing out of shape to point an accusatory finger at the club formed by Irish immigrants.
The victim blaming award goes to this Braveheart.
Good grief!
Of course, there will be no need for such nativist nuance in domestic games.
The Ibrox klanbase will not require any Hollywood substitute; it will be back to fondly remembering the Bowery Boys of Bridgeton and their eponymous leader.
Fullerton was a self-identifying fascist and a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
I cannot think of any other football support in Britain where there is such a festival of fascism on matchdays.
To try and unpick the reasoning of the Ibrox klanbase is to embark on a journey worthy of Joseph Conrad’s bleak imagination.
Until there are appropriate sanctions on the domestic game, the Know Nothings of Ibrox apparently enjoy official tolerance from those who govern Scottish football.
There is no other reasonable explanation.
I am not easily shocked but that is a new PUBLIC low for that club. Hard enough to see an element of the armed forces come off the stand roof with bigoted and racist scarves on in full view of the UK public.
There really should be an expose documentary just on the new rangers/sevco. Forget the old one, just 12 yrs of the racist new one would be enough.
Terrible finances, court cases, money fiddling, racism, fighting amongst themselves in the centre of Glasgow.
The butcher and his henchmen killed many immigrants from various countries and religions but that is whitewashed with the braindead and the focus changed from thuggery, racism to just anti-catholic rhetoric. Much akin to the famine song narrative where Cholera, Typhus, Dysentry ONLY took those of a catholic religion.
You waste your time engaging in conversation with Stupid.!! Sheep following the more hate filled element of the support.
Scotland’s shame, a public disgrace.
“All quiet on the Western Front” seems rather apt for lack of change from both the support and the board, or did I miss something?
Meanwhile here is some shite that was prepared earlier by Glasgow newest best wee racist club for consumption for those who tick boxes, try not to laugh:
Everyone-anyone, straight from their official fabel
Rangers is proud to be a modern, diverse football club where people from all backgrounds, cultures and communities can unite to celebrate and support a common cause – our ground-breaking diversity and inclusion campaign ‘Everyone Anyone’.
Our Everyone Anyone campaign represents our core values and sends a clear message of inclusion, togetherness and zero-tolerance to all forms of discrimination – on and off the pitch.
We feel it is the responsibility of everyone associated with the club – fans, players, staff and the wider community – to help create a positive environment where our differences are celebrated, our shared bond is our love of Rangers and no one is excluded.
Amazing how it rolls off a forked tongue.
Are the Rangers board, bilnd to this utter hate fest, that tags along with there club,?
Embarrassing does not been cover it. National press heads in the sand, o don’t mention it and nobody will know about it.
Maybe it’s time to call out the Scottish Goverment on this nonsense that follows them about.
The sheer stench of hatred is unbelievable in this day and age.
To Pat Nevin’s Barnet.
My apologies. I completely misunderstood your “art display” reference in response to Phil’s previous post. I assumed that you were referring to their performance art, their well rehearsed musical offering. I didn’t see the full match and missed this particular display. To be honest, it would have been lost on me anyway. I haven’t watched the film.
Having seen it now, the display I mean, and had the meaning explained, I cannot begin to, nor frankly, really want to, get into the minds of the xenophobic neanderthals who believe, in the twenty first century, that this kind of abhorrent display is remotely acceptable.
It could not have taken place without the expressed permission of the club. The stench of utter EVIL that eminates from that portal to hell, is beyond belief. Rangers were corrupt to the core. Sevco are ten times worse. It is beyond my understanding how any rational person of sound mind would want anything to do with this club.
Tragically there are Celtic fans who think we need them.
Just wondering if Mastercard were notified about being involved in a totally bigoted and unashamed show of the true feelings of the boards ‘Everyone nonsense.
This is a Scottish societal problem and a serious one at that that the ‘authorities’ ?? do absolutely nothing to attempt to alleviate, therefore the more The Huns get away with, the more that they will try to raise the bar with – and probably succeed with…
I’m down in England quite a bit to support my favourite English team (a so called unfashionable club in the lower reaches of The Championship) and there is nothing like this sectarianism whatsoever that is such a cancerous sore in the fabric of (not so) Bonnie Scotland and all through Sevco and the substantial Hun element of their support…
That Town that I visit has an annual St. Patrick’s Day parade attended by thousands and there isn’t even one police officer in sight for the colourful, musical, and fun loving pageantry on show on the day –
I’d go as far on the evidence that I’ve seen that England is far more welcoming to the good folks that are Irish and of Irish descent than a substantial amount of ‘Bonnie’ Scotland is towards them !
I think you might be referencing Birmingham? If so, you are quite wrong that there are no issues. I’ve worn my hoops too at St Andrews and been attacked for it. Also, in a pre season friendly against the hoops, the game had to be stopped as blues fans were inciting the xektic fans with the red hand of ulster placard! Karen Brady led photographers over to the kop to get pics of the ringleaders! It does exist here, but just not on the levels back home.
The Bathville piece takes us right back to sectarian Scotland’s demands to end segregation in the schools by closing ‘Catholic’ schools implying / claiming doing so would end their bigotry and hatred of anything / anyone of Catholic faith.
Always their case that they are the ‘victims’ and that they only say, do, and are, sectarian bigots because those bad Catholics / Taigs / Fenians / Tarriers force them to be this way.
There is no such thing as a Catholic only school.
No school is allowed to refuse entry to any child in respect of their religion.
‘Catholic’ schools simply offer the chance for parents to have their children educated in the Catholic faith and be prepared for and to celebrate the Sacraments.
It is the parents who choose which school their child goes to.
Are UEFA aware of this tifo ? If not can someone please point it out to them?
I also had no idea what this tifo represented. To be honest, I never watch Rangers matches on TV as I’m just not interested and there is always the chance of hearing passages from their disgusting songbook. However, this image takes their hatred to another level and the fact that it is permitted by the club is truly astounding.
How comfortable does the Celtic Board feel about being associated with its dark partner? It seems to me there’s little appetite at boardroom level to show clear blue! water between ourselves and the evil twin. The old “two cheeks of the same arse” jibe made by those outwith Glasgow may be right.
As long as the punters buy in…
Phil!
thank you and kudos for educating me re THAT tifo.
I was baffled.
Now appalled.
The dead club really do live in the past and evolution has certainly passed them by. As long as there’s a Rangers racism, sectarianism and hatred will thrive. HH
But it’s always been thus. Which is why, in 1967 aged 19, I left my native country and moved to a community where my Irish ancestry wasn’t held against me and where the first question in a job interview wasn’t “Which school did you go to?”. It’s very sad to see that now 56 years later the same divisions are still in place and, if anything, seem to be growing in strength.
This visual display and the racist mindset it speaks to is utterly grotesque. The fact that the klub itself saw fit to permit its installation, the Scottish media chose to condone it by not calling it out for what it is, and the footballing authorities who run the show in shortbreadland have not taken action says all we need to know about that sad wee country. CFC’s board need to get off their knees and shout their disgust at such blatant sectarianism at the top of their lungs. But do they ever? Naw!
Did William Poole’s Native ancestors get to America with the other natives on The Mayflower?
Mortifying for the black players at Ibrox (at least it should be) to hear chants glorifying racist thugs. Scottish mainstream media are again conspicuously silent. As for our football hierarchy…
The problem for decency is that there is no voice of decency in Scottish society this is tolerated it has ever been thus and unless and until someone in Scottish society is prepared to stand up and call this out in the most public of terms nothing will change. I can’t think of anyone within Scottish society who is capable of having the balls to stand up and call it out
Scandalous miopicy by the governing bodies, they continue to shame Scottish football with their pandering of the freemasonry that haunts their halls.
They should be removed quickly so that the game could progress unhindered.