ian1964 10,409 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 By: Newsroom Staff on 04 Mar, 2014 17:14 CELTIC have called for a review of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Grounds Act to be brought forward and have labelled it ´unhelpful and counter-productive´. The Scottish Government introduced the legislation in 2012 and promised a review after two full football seasons of operation. However, Celtic believe that there is already sufficient evidence of the Act´s ´unhelpfulness and negative impacts´ to justify an immediate review with action to follow. Celtic have all along opposed this legislation which has been used to create a general presumption that different laws should apply to football supporters as distinct from society as a whole. This has inevitably led to a sense of discrimination across Scottish football and has brought the law into disrepute when tested in the criminal courts. It has also acted as a barrier to our own efforts to encourage supporters to behave in a way which is consistent with the club´s proud history and reputation. We believe the Scottish Government should review, as a matter of urgency, the way in which this unhelpful and counter-productive Act is operating. Celtic have always valued a positive relationship with the police and we are concerned that they too have now been put in the position of enforcing legislation which is provocative and does not command widespread respect. The Scottish Government has conceded the need to review the workings of the legislation but we see no need for delay since there is plenty of evidence available, not least from the comments of Sheriffs who have had to deal with cases arising from it. It would be helpful if the new season could kick off in August with these issues resolved so that everyone could concentrate on promoting the best possible environment for Scottish football and marginalising unwelcome influences which attach themselves to it. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Anything to get their glory hunting animals back into the ground. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,409 Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Early sectarian law review ruled out An early review of controversial laws on cutting religious sectarian abuse at football games would be nonsensical, the minister in charge has said. Roseanna Cunningham rejected suggestions to look at the legislation ahead of a previously agreed August 2015 deadline. Ms Cunningham told MSPs the review in hand would be a "solid piece of work". Fans groups have raised concern about the laws, brought into force in 2012, and Celtic urged an immediate review. The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act gave police and prosecutors additional powers to crack down on sectarian songs and abuse at football matches. The legislation, which also aims to stamp out threatening behaviour posted on the internet or by mail, was passed with an agreement that the Scottish government would review it after two seasons and report back to parliament. Legislation 'tweaks' It created two distinct offences, punishable through a range of penalties including up to a maximum five years in prison and an unlimited fine. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote This has inevitably led to a sense of discrimination across Scottish football” Celtic Football Club statement The Scottish Parliament justice committee previously considered an early review after hearing representations from the fans who said the laws were having a disproportionate impact on ordinary supporters. Ms Cunningham told the committee the Stirling University researchers conducting the review would not have all the information they needed until August this year. The community safety minister added: "I just don't really see any great need for that to be changed. "I couldn't now step in and ask them to do something differently to what they've been instructed." 'Independent researchers' The minister added:"That process, because it's being done independently, because it's being done through Stirling University, is going to give a proper, comprehensive, quality-assured, evidence-based evaluation which will be - I hesitate to say incontrovertible, because nothing is ever incontrovertible - but it will be as solid a piece of work as you could possibly expect." Asked if anything could happen before the 2015 deadline, such as an interim report, Ms Cunningham replied: "No, it would be nonsensical to do something while this review was ongoing when we know the review is going to be published - they're the independent researchers, they're the ones that will be able to tell us something needs to be tweaked or not." In response, Celtic Football Club called for a review of the Act's "unhelpful and counter-productive" impact to be brought forward. A statement added: "Celtic have all along opposed this legislation which has been used to create a general presumption that different laws should apply to football supporters as distinct from society as a whole. "This has inevitably led to a sense of discrimination across Scottish football and has brought the law into disrepute when tested in the criminal courts. "It has also acted as a barrier to our own efforts to encourage supporters to behave in a way which is consistent with the club's proud history and reputation." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26433792 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrahimHemdani 1 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Isn't going to happen. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca72 440 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Well now, Rosie C. and her cohorts were in the forefront when this legislation was being pushed through Holyrood. The impression at the time was that this was anti-sectarian legislation designed to curb the Rangers' fans. What happened here Rosie? You and your esteemed leader Mr. Salmond were lobbied by such as Cardinal O'Brien and your friends in the east, and were led to believe that by introducing such 'Rangers-baiting' legislation you would garner the 'celtic-minded' vote in the referendum. Why would your friends in the east publicly berate and oppose you now? It looks like they are being disloyal to the clique. They are showing you that they will be nice and supportive as long as you do what they want, but should you adversely affect their agenda then they will turn on you. Their agenda is to put bums on seats at the scumdome and show their support, especially to the GB, that they are dominant in all aspects of Scottish football. Rosie C., what will you do? How can you win the referendum without the 'celtic-minded' vote? I mean, you have just about pissed-off the majority of the Rangers' support. Oh well, dear Alec can no doubt depend on the Hearts'support. Oh my ... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,254 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 This legislation was introduced by McConnell's Lhabour party before the SNP came to power and was specifically brought in to target Rangers supporters. When the SNP got in they have tried to apply it fairly to all clubs supporters but have subsequently found out who the biggest offenders are !!!!! A classic case of unleashing a tiger which has turned to maul you !!!!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca72 440 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Not a great fan of young Bill, but I think he has the rights of it here ... March 4, 2014 by billmcmurdo Lullabies And Battlecries Well, it is the month of March and mad hares. Which perhaps explains the stern statement from Celtic Football Club lambasting the Scottish Government over the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act of 2012. Celtic just don’t like this legislation because it prevents their fans from behaving in the fine traditions of the club. Presumably this means singing songs glorifying cowardly terrorist murderers and other revelry of an anti-British nature. The temerity of Celtic is breathtaking. Not content with running Scottish football and the Scottish media, now the club is seeking to dictate the law of the land and put the Scottish Government in its place. Perhaps Big Peter has mistaken his recent appointment to the ECA and thinks he has been appointed to the EC instead. The irony of Celtic’s complaint will not be lost on many of my readers. It is the adoption of mock offence taken by the Celtic support that ramped up the issue of sectarianism in the first place. Now we have what Dr Stuart Waiton calls a “snitch culture” where people trawl through voluminous scribblings on and offline so they can report “hate crime” to the authorities. The offended bus has become a fleet which would be the envy of Scottish bus tycoon Brian Souter. Not unsurprisingly in this secular age, more than a few of those convicted of religious hate crimes are avowed atheists, which kind of defeats the whole point of the Act which is designed to nail religiously-motivated criminality. This means that Celtic’s complaint has some validity in that the Act was a hasty and ill-thought response to a problem which certainly exists but has not been properly defined i.e. what sectarianism actually is. The perma offended fans of Celtic FC may have started driving the bus but now that it has been taken over by the politicians and social engineers, they don’t like that their own activities are proscribed by law. There seems to be an obsession on both sides of the Proddy-Kafflick divide in Scottish society to legitimise their own songs and slogans, while outlawing those of the opposite side. Claims of legality over certain songs and the perceived right to sing them trumps the notion that anybody might be offended by them. This leads to an arrogant mindset at football matches where uber fans are more interested in their “right” to sing songs than in what consequences such singing could potentially have that could damage their club. I have to say that Rangers fans have responded to this in terms of self-policing far more than Celtic fans. I find it sad and a little sinister that Celtic FC would make such representations about what is essentially the law of the land and protest for the right of their fans to sing songs and shout slogans that are illegal. In doing so, the club has shown it shares the fans’ blind spot in seeing the issue as one of the mere right to sing. It isn’t just about rights; it is also about responsibility. And it is also about offensiveness. In case anyone at Celtic is in any doubt, let me make it clear: Regardless of the legalities, decent people in Scotland don’t want an IRA love-in inside or outside any football ground. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darthter 542 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 It has also acted as a barrier to our own efforts to encourage supporters to behave in a way which is consistent with the club´s proud history and reputation. WTF..... Are they REALLY saying (in a roundabout way) that they encourage the general behaviour of the Green Brigade & their terrorist supporting ways and that the Offensive behaviour act has "acted as a barrier" to this???? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juancornetto 1 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 The clearest indicator of Celtic Football Club's condoning of illegal behavior. The terrorism act specifically forbids glorification of proscribed terrorist organisations yet a football club is blatantly defending exactly that. It would shameful but then we know that club have no shame. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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