Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012

[Frankie 8,186]

As I put it somewhere else, "Fenian" as such is neither threatening nor is it offensive. It denominates a member of a terrorist group or supporter of somesuch. Not a Roman Catholic nor an Irishman nor a mixture of both.

 

And to be precise, in literature and mythology it also denominates a cycle of Irish legends about ancient warriors and people. But that, much like what the media claims in the West of Scotland about the meaning, lies well beyond our songs and chants.

 

Unfortunately the symbolism of being up to one's knees in fenian blood does offer people a context in which to be offended.

 

Of course there is a faux offence here but that battle has been won and lost. Now we can only fight to ensure the new Act is applied consistently.

[der Berliner 3,290]

Sure enough, Frankie. But I was not exactly speaking about TBB here, but the use of "Fenian" as such.

 

Of course, what remains to be seen is how the police and stewarts carry out their duty here ... and whether there will be at long last a list of songs that are a no-go.

 

How they weed out a whole ground of people singing e.g. "Sad Orange Bastard" might be interesting. Closed-door home games maybe? Deduct them 10 points, maybe?

[Frankie 8,186]

IIRC, the SPL have said they won't be enforcing any new rules until next season.

 

I honestly can't see how they can enforce this fairly. It will be like Lunny but far more subjective.

[Juancornetto 1]

As I put it somewhere else, "Fenian" as such is neither threatening nor is it offensive. It denominates a member of a terrorist group or supporter of somesuch. Not a Roman Catholic nor an Irishman nor a mixture of both.

 

And to be precise, in literature and mythology it also denominates a cycle of Irish legends about ancient warriors and people. But that, much like what the media claims in the West of Scotland about the meaning, lies well beyond our songs and chants.

 

For example, what goes on now is like claiming that anti-ETA chants can't be done because they are offensive to the Basque population. Maybe I am utterly wrong here, but we chant against the terrorists and their supporters (i.e. anti-British behaviour). Can you imagine that say Bilbao supporters chant pro ETA (i.e. terrorist) songs (which I doubt they do, but anyway) and the government and law enforcers forbid the opposition's support to chant anti-ETA songs? That is what is happening in Scotland, something which must be utterly appaling to the victims of IRA blasts and any British soldier visiting a ground where the Hopped Horrors play.

 

It's interesting that even Bilbao fans who live in the Basque region don't stoop so low as to sing pro-ETA songs at the football. A more closely linked group of people to a separatist terrorist group you will not find but even they are able to show some dignity and keep it away from their football club. What a contrast from a group of people who have tenuous at best links with a republican terror gang and choose to blight themselves and Scottish Football with it.

[der Berliner 3,290]

Next stop: "F*ck the IRA" ... where would this end up on the offensive list? IMHO right next to "FT Taliban" or "F Al-Qaida", but probably not so in Scotland ...

[calscot 0]

As I put it somewhere else, "Fenian" as such is neither threatening nor is it offensive. It denominates a member of a terrorist group or supporter of somesuch. Not a Roman Catholic nor an Irishman nor a mixture of both.

 

That is a fair enough synopsis of the word but can we not just act like mature adults? If the word is banned because of certain connotations, are we that pathetic that we are upset at the loss of a word - so much so we HAVE to break the law in a petty, pouted lipped gesture?

 

Even if people are incapable of watching a football match without recourse to shouting and singing about unconnected political and social problems (which is pretty weird in itself), do they not have a vocabulary that they can dig into to find a more suitable word which cannot be argued as offensive?

 

Here's one: terrorist. Either I'm vastly intelligent or there are far two many half-wits around that can't even come up with that one.

 

For all the complaints about how shite our managers are - playing players out of position, using old and passed it favourite players that no longer do a job, playing boring and ugly football, the fans are infinitely more guilty of the same type of crime - singing words and songs out of place, using ancient and passed it favourite songs that no longer do a job, and ultimately making a boring and ugly atmosphere.

 

At least the managers are intelligent enough not play banned players...

 

It's time for fans to live up to their own high standards they hold for others.

[der Berliner 3,290]

Oh, don't get me wrong here. I'm not advocating the use of the word Fenian or anything alike by our support. I just want to set the record straight here and argue for an approach to the topic on an equal level. Whilst our support is castigated continuously and more often than not erraneously for using this or that word or phrase, the Hooped Horrors essentially get away with their downright illegal support for the IRA terrorists for years now.

[calscot 0]

Oh, don't get me wrong here. I'm not advocating the use of the word Fenian or anything alike by our support. I just want to set the record straight here and argue for an approach to the topic on an equal level. Whilst our support is castigated continuously and more often than not erraneously for using this or that word or phrase, the Hooped Horrors essentially get away with their downright illegal support for the IRA terrorists for years now.

 

I completely agree with you but would rather we started from a higher ground than we presently do.

[Bluedell 5,356]

As I put it somewhere else, "Fenian" as such is neither threatening nor is it offensive. It denominates a member of a terrorist group or supporter of somesuch. Not a Roman Catholic nor an Irishman nor a mixture of both.

 

We have to accept that there are some in our support who would use the word on occasion to mean RC. I'm sure that we have all heard it.

 

There's some in the celtic support who use the H word to mean "Rangers fan" but many who use it in a derogatory term for Protestant.

 

Both side can't have their cake and eat it and there needs to be consistency.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

One thing I can tell you for certain is that both the Police and the Government will count it as major success if NO ONE is arrested under the new legislation this or any other Saturday. That said Police around the country have been briefed by the FoCUS Unit and every identifiable fan's group i.e. Trusts and Supporters' Associations has been invited to attend meetings with senior officers from the Police FoCUS Unit over the past two weeks; so there is no excuse on either side for anyone not to know what is acceptable and what is not. The Police will not give a list of acceptable songs but they will respond to any group asking if a particular song is acceptable or not.