Kick Out Bigotry! But Don�t Condemn Support of the IRA!

[Frankie 8,218]

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=551&Itemid=1

 

I hear yet another anti-sectarian drive was officially launched yesterday at Hampden. ââ?¬Ë?Kick out Bigotryââ?¬â?¢ has funds of over Ã?£300,000 and is being co-ordinated by Scottish charitable organisation ââ?¬Ë?Football for Allââ?¬â?¢. Backed by all 12 SPL clubs, is this finally an objective look at this problem in our sport or yet another sham which will spend lots of our money but not a lot of time asking the really difficult questions of society?

 

There is no doubt in recent seasons progress against this social blight has been positive ââ?¬â?? especially from a Rangers point of view. Removing offensive words like ââ?¬Ë?******ââ?¬â?¢ from our songs and finally eradicating the likes of the ââ?¬Ë?***ââ?¬â?¢ add-on is a huge forward step and itââ?¬â?¢s been most heartening to see the magnificent reaction from our support in that regard. Self-policing and education is certainly the way to go and itââ?¬â?¢s vital that, if the problem within the Scottish game is to be extinguished, further hard work and self-examination should be done. Not just by Rangers and their fans of course but by every club in Scotland with similar problems.

 

How disappointing then that we hear Jeanette Findlay (Chairperson of the Celtic Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust) on national radio (BBC Radio 5) yesterday proclaiming her membersââ?¬â?¢ right to sing songs about the IRA. Even worse to hear another so called objective anti-bigotry organisation (ââ?¬Ë?Nil by Mouthââ?¬â?¢) defend her comments. Richard Benjamin ââ?¬â?? speaking for this publicly funded organisation said:

 

"While I defend Dr Findlay's right to express her personal beliefs, context is important. Expressing religious and political views in football can be damaging, not just to the sport, but to the wider community, too. I think most football supporters would not be exposed to chants about the IRA at matches."

 

Is this what it�s really come to? Rangers and their fans are derided by all and sundry over the years because certain words in certain songs discriminate. Yet now a Celtic supporting representative says it�s OK to sing about an illegal terrorist organisation that maimed and killed hundreds of innocent people, suddenly context is important? Pull the other one, Dick!

 

So what do the other main protagonists have to say in this matter?

 

Alex Salmond ââ?¬â?? First Minister ââ?¬â?? was at the ââ?¬Ë?KoBââ?¬â?¢ launch yesterday so surely he would have strongly condemned the Celtic Trustââ?¬â?¢s comments? Remember how quick he was to personally wade into the Artur Boruc debacle? Given an early chance to get this campaign off to a good start he said this about supporting terrorist organisations: absolutely nothing. He left it to a spokeswoman to do his dirty work. Thankfully she did say the CSTââ?¬â?¢s views were ââ?¬Ë?repugnantââ?¬â?¢ but this would have better effect coming from the First Minister himself.

 

What about Billy McNeil ââ?¬â?? Celtic legend? Surely as someone brought up to abhor bigotry he would be keen to give this group of Celtic shareholders a ââ?¬Ë?kick up the backsideââ?¬â?¢? Nope ââ?¬â?? nothing either.

 

Finally what about Celtic FC? Peter Lawwell is never slow to appear in the media regarding a plethora of issues. Apparently he finds all forms of bigotry ââ?¬Ë?poisonous and despicableââ?¬â?¢ so would surely send out a clear message against support of the IRA amongst his clubââ?¬â?¢s fans (and shareholders) on a day where the whole country was to get behind the anti-bigotry message. Again though he left it to an unnamed spokeswoman to say the comments were ââ?¬Ë?unrepresentative of the Celtic supportââ?¬â?¢.

 

Now that may well be true nowadays but surely Celtic should have unequivocally condemned the comments and distanced themselves from any illegal support of terrorist organisations? There is no room for prevarication on this issue. Will Dr Findlay (and her Trust peers who obviously share her views) be banned from Celtic Park? Is the Celtic plc comfortable with having such people as shareholders? Have the CST now breached their own rules regarding suitable people to be involved with club?

 

Furthermore while the unnamed Celtic spokeswomen may insist IRA support is not reflective of the larger Celtic support, why then are the official Celtic singing section allowed to fly a banner of Jock Stein home and away by the ââ?¬Ë?Junglebhoysââ?¬â?¢? This banner was painted by a convicted IRA terrorist ââ?¬â?? a strange choice of beneficiary for such a project. I doubt Stein would have been enamoured with such a controversial choice. Moreover, will the club continue to use venues such as the Clanree Hotel (in Letterkenny) ââ?¬â?? alleged by the Irish Sunday Mirror to be owned by a well-known IRA sympathiser - for official events? Or have they learned their lesson from the unacceptable behaviour of their staff and fans that particular evening?

 

Last month Graham Spiers (no laughing at the back) suggested Rangers had a ââ?¬Ë?significantly worseââ?¬â?¢ problem with bigotry than Celtic (or other clubs generally). Yesterdayââ?¬â?¢s comments by Findlay and the CST, as well as the failure by Celtic FC to emphatically condemn support for the IRA, once again shows Rangers fans are not the only support with modernisation issues in Scotland. At the very least we can say we are facing this challenge, accepting our wrongs and moving to address them.

 

ââ?¬Ë?Kick out Bigotryââ?¬â?¢ is an admirable initiative and one we should all get behind. Unfortunately, it appears some continue to prefer to push the envelope on just what is offensive instead of joining Rangers and their fans in removing any discriminatory and/or bigoted associations from their support. Until these people manage to get past their petty prejudices, and until the Scottish Executive address the real reasons for bigotry (and stop blaming football fans), such campaigns are doomed to failure.

 

Can we win the battle against bigotry? Yes we can, but it�s time chants for the IRA, the UVF, huns, DOBs and FTQ joined the already banned terms to ensure an objective and honest debate. In addition it�s imperative the likes of Strathclyde Police, the Scottish Executive, Kick out Bigotry and Nil by Mouth worked with the fans to provide real and genuine guidelines with regard to the above instead of talking about context and making excuses. Education is the key.

 

Now that would be progress.

[ian1964 10,563]

Celtic Trust in IRA war of words

 

The Celtic Trust was opposed to John Reid's appointment

A Celtic supporters' trust chief who defended the singing of pro-IRA songs by fans has been described as unrepresentative by the football club.

Dr Jeanette Findlay, chair of the Celtic Trust, said chants about the IRA were "songs from a war of independence going back over a hundred years".

 

She was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's breakfast programme.

 

But a club spokeswoman said: "These comments are totally unrepresentative of the Celtic support."

 

Findlay's comments came a day after her organisation opposed the appointment of John Reid as Celtic chairman because of the former Cabinet Minister's role during the war in Iraq.

 

And it came on the day when Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, joined the 12 Scottish Premier League clubs in launching a month of action in the Kick-Out Bigotry campaign.

 

What history tells us is that it is facile to say that politics and sport will ever be separated

 

Dr Jeanette Findlay

 

"There are around 27,500 Celtic shareholders," said Celtic's statement.

 

"We believe that Ms Findlay claims to speak for only around 200 of these - a very, very small minority - as yesterday's 99.1% vote in favour of Dr Reid's appointment as chairman clearly underlines.

 

"We are delighted with the way in which our fans currently support the team."

 

Dr Findlay is a research fellow and economics lecturer at Glasgow University and co-director of Glasgow University Football Research Centre, where she has been involved in setting up a post-graduate course in sport and public policy.

 

Findlay told BBC presenter Nicky Campbell that the trust's opposition to Reid's appointment was because of his "leading role in relation to what many believe is an illegal and immoral war".

 

Campbell said that people who had relatives murdered by the IRA might find songs about the organisation equally as offensive.

 

Findlay claimed that Celtic "was founded to help the poor Irish immigrants to Scotland" and that many of their descendants still supported the club.

 

MY SPORT: DEBATE

It's amazing how so few people can cause such a stir

 

vortexbhoy

 

"They may take a particular view of the history of what happened in Ireland which is different from many other people, so I don't call those pro-terrorist songs," said the chair of the organisation pressing for fan representation on Celtic's board.

 

"What history tells us is that it is facile to say that politics and sport will ever be separated.

 

"Throughout history, sporting events are used as means of expressing political views or political identities."

 

Celtic Supporters Association spokesman Jim Divers said his organisation opposed any offensive add-ons to chants.

 

"We will continue to support the club's many on-going anti-sectarianism initiatives, which are backed by the vast majority of supporters," he told the Evening Times.

 

A Scottish government spokeswoman said of Dr Findlay's comments: "Her repugnant views have no place in a modern, forward-thinking Scotland.

 

"The people of Scotland have had enough of bigotry."

[Guest TULLYTHETRUEBLUE]

Depends who is saying you can or cant

[gisabeer 409]

justification of their own hate. and why should morality be a commodity only afforded to celtic supporters? all brilliant stuff though. thanks dr findlay, for taking the flack right off our backs and placing it right on the doorstep of the place where it belongs. ps you stupid septic bint, your p45 is probably in the post.