The Spiers article on the Green Brigade protest

[ian1964 10,417]

September 26 2011 12:01AM

 

It was quite an amazing scene at Celtic Park on Saturday. This loud,

boisterous, sometimes militant group of the club's support known as the

Green Brigade were in full flow. Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, later

referred to this chanting, drum-beating mob as "fantastic" and

"brilliant".

 

You almost forgot they were there because, for the opening 45 minutes,

hardly a cheep came out of this singing section. Instead, a series of

banners were unfurled, in a carefully-planned ploy that could hardly

have been executed better. As each protesting banner was made visible

the whole of Celtic Park rose and applauded, causing quite a commotion.

 

Suddenly, at the beginning of the second half, their singing started

again, and what an atmosphere it created. Great, booming, tribal chants

were flung from one end of the stadium to the other, as otherwise

dormant supporters were roused by the occasion.

 

It gave the Celtic-Caley Thistle match a theatrical backdrop, prompting

Lennon's later comments.

 

The Green Brigade were protesting about the proposed new legislation

being created for the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill. Their

perception, in many ways correct, is that it will curb their rightful

freedom of speech. This is a complicated area, mired as it has become in

a trashy Old Firm game of moral ping-pong, but it is still worth

exploring.

 

For instance, it is true that the Green Brigade's songs about Ireland

and Irish identity, which are at the core of Celtic's foundation as a

football club, are to be outlawed. One of their banners said: "Police

State - Don't Criminalise Us". Another said: "Our Songs Are Not

Sectarian". Further points were made about a collection of chants that

the Green Brigade enjoy - one of them even being Ireland's national

anthem - but which the Scottish Parliament might be blundering its way

towards outlawing.

 

The most contentious of the chants found among the Celtic support - as

well as that of Rangers - is about the IRA. This is where it comes right

down to the nub, and where, in truth, a zero tolerance policy probably

needs to be deployed.

 

It doesn't sound very convincing these days to argue that, when Celtic

fans chant about the IRA, they are in fact referring to an Irish

liberation movement of nearly 100 years ago, rather than the terror

group of recent times. This is a semantic we can do without.

 

The very same line of argument was tried a few years ago by some Rangers

hardliners over their use of the word "Fenian". Anyone steeped in west

of Scotland society knows that the word is a pejorative term for a

Catholic, but some Rangers fans tried to get round this, saying: "No, no

... in fact we are merely referring to the 19th century political

movement in Ireland."

 

That argument disintegrated somewhat when thousands of fans at Ibrox

would refer to Martin O'Neill, then the Celtic manager, as a "sad Fenian

b*****d", when plainly O'Neill was alive in the here and now, and not in

the 19th century.

 

In fact, on Saturday at Celtic Park, there wasn't a single IRA chant to

be heard from the Green Brigade, despite some of their critics fervently

praying that there would be. It is the one refrain in their repertoire

they need to junk, however fleeting it might be at Celtic Park. (Some

Celtic fans on the road, just like those of Rangers, are a different

breed to sort out.) The Green Brigade, like the Blue Order at Ibrox, is

to be encouraged. They are loud and brash and they provide Celtic games

with a vivid percussion. There is also an argument that, all across the

world, many football clubs' supporters express a cultural or political

stance that should not be deemed to be illegal. If these were outlawed

then, never mind Celtic, the supporters of Real Madrid and Barcelona

would be in deep trouble.

 

Where most decent people want to draw a line, and be less libertarian,

is where it comes to outright prejudice, principally involving race or

religion. Where a football crowd starts to hurl bile in either of these

spheres, I'm all for supporters being carted off and fined. But over a

club's cultural roots - which many Celtic fans feel strongly - I don't

see how it can be muzzled.

 

The Scottish Government needs to be very careful as it meanders towards

drawing up this Bill. The Green Brigade may have a point: Celtic and

Rangers fans could face court charges over offences that are laughable.

If I were Roseanna Cunningham, the Government's minister for community

safety, I would tred very warily indeed.

[craig 5,199]

He is at pains to make Celtic's repertoire "political" rather than sectarian.

 

Not for one minute do I believe that there was no IRA-oke at the mecchano-dome on Saturday.

[GovanAllan 0]

The way he lumps the green brigade and the blue order into the same hat what a tosser, you don't need 12 months of political brainwashing to join the BO the man is a sad wee wank stain on Liewells pants.

[Guest Dutchy]

There's so many things you can say about what's wrong with this tit's analysis of words. What I don't like about him is slef-proclaimed abilituy to know what people are thinking, then take his arguement on from there, while not affording the other sides the same courtesy.

 

One point in the psudeo intellectual world of Speirs is, if a word has two meanings, why can he be so precise in his claim that Rangers fans are only using the negative term? I for one would say that most Rangers fans consider both versions as bastards, but he's actually not writing for the sake of discussion, he writes to influence people, using this fart born intellectuality, and he certainly hates the Rangers.

 

As a parting shot, he could at least attempt to get the facts right as well. I'm sure it's UEFA that has bans against racism, sectsrian and political chanting within football. Isn't that what Platini said about the septic supports songs???

 

It could just be that he wants to slog off the Scottish Parliment because he made an arse of himself at the committe meetings, or his realisation that no-one thinks he has anything of importance to say, me being one of them.