Celtic Supporters Thread (contains GB chat)

Absolutely right. Sport does not take place in a vacuum!

And wanting political expression kept away from football matches is in itself a political opinion!

 

Yup, it's not something you can escape from.

 

Too true. Politics is the fabric of society, it forms part of everyday life. Politics and sport are intertwined, they are inseparable - the suggestion that sport and politics should or can be kept seperate is nonsensical.

But of course when people talk about keeping politics out of sport in the context we are discussing, what they are really talking about is Irish Republican politics. I can't recall, for example, any issue over the numerous anti-fascist banners/flags which have been displayed by Celtic fans or calls for these to be kept away from games.

 

A STUDENT held after chanting abuse about the Pope and the Queen at a football match has been convicted under controversial anti-sectarian laws.
But Adam Richmond, 19, walked away without a criminal record after a sheriff said he should not have been dragged into court.
The case has sparked a fresh wave of criticism over the Government’s Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act, driven into place two years ago after a bad-tempered Old Firm match and designed to clamp down on sectarian abuse at games and online.
Football fans, lawyers and civil liberty campaigners have branded the legislation unnecessary and confused after cases have been questioned when they reached court.
Richmond was arrested after police heard him singing “F*** your Pope and f*** your Queen” as Partick Thistle played Celtic at Firhill in October.
Thistle fans sing the song to distance themselves from Rangers and Celtic.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, he was found guilty by Sheriff Norman Ritchie QC of behaviour likely to incite public disorder by singing sectarian and offensive remarks.
But he told the teenager: “You are not the sort of person who creates the problem and needs this legislation.”
He then discharged him absolutely. That means Richmond, from Penilee, Glasgow, has no criminal record despite being found guilty.
Yesterday, solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe said: “I struggle to see the point of this Act. One of the major concerns was it had an extremely long reach and was very vague in its terms.
“This seems to be being borne out to a certain extent by some of these decisions, suggesting there is a reluctance on the part of the sheriffs to find one person in a crowd of 3000 guilty.
“Because of its vagueness, you can have a situation theoretically where somebody is saying something which is, on the face of it, offensive – it doesn’t have to be sectarian or racist and people do shout things at football matches – so there’s a potential there for criminalising football fans for what they have been doing for the past 150 years.
“These cases seem to be reflecting the concern a lot of lawyers – and not just defence lawyers but sheriffs as well – are having regarding this legislation.
“What it really seems to be doing is focusing on football behaviour as opposed to what many people see
as the real concern, which is sectarianism in Scotland.
“It seems we are criminalising people who are letting off steam in a relatively secure environment.”
Product design student Richmond was told he was a credible witness until he was asked about singing the song, when his evidence turned “decidedly lukewarm” and his confidence “evaporated”.
The Thistle song is supposed to celebrate the club’s neutrality from Old Firm bigotry with the line: “We hate the boys in royal blue, we hate the boys in emerald green, f*** your Pope and f*** your Queen.”
Richmond told the court that the song is only sung when Thistle play Celtic or Rangers and the lyrics represent taking a stand against religion in football.
Richmond, who has been going to games with his dad since he was six, said: “To me, from my understanding of the song, I don’t see how it can be offensive.”
But anti-sectarianism charity Nil By Mouth said they hoped that Richmond had learned his lesson.
Campaigns director David Scott said: “The use of this type of language at a match is no longer acceptable no matter what the context.
“Fans at all league clubs are warned on the back of their ticket and before the start of games that offensive singing or chanting is not allowed.
“Clearly, if this man wants to keep religion out of football, he should not have been singing what he did.”
When we contacted Richmond at his home, he declined to comment.
But a family friend said: “Adam has never been in trouble in his life. This has been hanging over for him for months and has been a terrible strain.
“He was the only one arrested even though he was in a group of about 300 fans.
“Adam has been told he will not have to declare this as a conviction when he goes for a job, which is a real relief.
“This is a song that the Thistle fans have been singing for years without any previous complaints.
“There is no intention of causing offence. All it really does is poke fun at Celtic and Rangers fans.”
Partick Thistle declined to comment on the case.
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That's * bs now satire is illegal your country needs to get to grips with reality

 

Good on the judge this legislation is a * joke

 

If you consider yourself Scottish why did you earlier refer to yourself as an Irishman? Were you just an Irishman for that post so you could not be offended?

Perhaps you just have dissociative identity disorder.

 

never heard of that one,are you inventing disorders

& if so, is it catching,is it dangerous,can you be a carrier?

 

It is contagious but you only give it to yourself that is the other yourself

 

yes but its never anything directly linked with the club and the minute silences don't get the club fined tens of thousands of pounds.

 

So we should all just sit down and be quiet like obedient schoolboys and ignore blatant hypocrisy from the authorities, aye?

 

Well done to the judge for that decision. Although it is really nothing more then common sense being applied.

 

However the decision to fine Celtic tens of thousands of pounds is clearly a political decision

In your opinion is the decision to fine Celtic tens of thousands of pounds a justifiable one or not ?

 

The reason the minutes silences don't get the club fined is simply due to hypocrisy, where some form of politics are allowed and others aren't. And how do you define 'directly linked with the club'? Surely politics should be more acceptable in football if it's directly linked with the club?

 

A minutes silence for the dead (regardless of who's dead it is) isn't political.

 

I disagree I think certain 'silences' are political. Particularly the one that takes place on or around 11th of November.

 

It definitely is political.

 

How is a minutes silence for Nelson Mandela not political?

 

Doesn't matter. It's hypocritical. It's basically a pick and choose mentality from the government and footballing bodies like UEFA. The laws of it all now are saying that it's OK to pay respect to a political figure like Nelson Mandela but you can't pay respect by singing songs about fallen Irish soldiers for instance. The Flower Of Scotland is political but that's OK. * Save The Queen is political but that's OK. Sing a song like Roll Of Honour or Boys Of The Old Brigade and you'll be hauled up for it.

The Offensive Behaviour Act is an absolutely moronic piece of legislature and politics in football is everywhere you look, but like I said, it's hypocritical to allow one political advert and not another.

A Remembrance Day's minutes silence for the fallen soldiers from WWI and WWII is political. It may be to pay tribute to the dead, but it's still bringing politics into the game.

 

:smiley-laughing002:

Yes, it certainly is still a political matter.