Police say loyalist fan banner was confiscated at Rangers v St Mirren game for safety

[ian1964 10,475]

Police say loyalist fan banner was confiscated at Rangers v St Mirren game for safety reasons.

 

POLICE say a loyalist style fan banner featuring a Union Jack confiscated at the St Mirren v Rangers match in Paisley was removed for "safety reasons".

 

Fans and and anti-football law protesters criticised police for rermoving the flag, which contains loyalist symbolism a Union Jack and Rangers emblems within an St George's Cross.

 

It was taken at half time during Sunday's match at St Mirren Park after a steward told fans to bring it down from above their heads.

 

When it was taken down a female police officer said it would have to be taken off them to be returned at the full time whistle.

 

Update on the Paisley Loyal Union Flag confiscated by police! `We collected flag from front door,they said the reason was "inciting a riot"

— James_TrueBlue_1872 (@Trueblue26072) October 26, 2015

 

A supporters club representative said that when he had refused, saying it would be folded away, another officer leant over the advertising boards and "grabbed it off me from behind". It was returned at the end of the game.

 

The supporters club representative said at one point the officer apologised and explained that the atmosphere had turned sour. But representative said it was "completely untrue and was only created by his actions and his actions alone!"

 

The supporters club are planning to send a letter of complaint to Police Scotland.

 

Match Commander Chief Inspector Robert Kennedy said the banner was not removed due to its content.

 

He said: “St Mirren Football Club has a strict policy of no surfing banners in the stadium for safety reasons.

 

“Stewards noticed two surfing banners on either side of the north stand and went to request that they were taken down to ensure the safety of spectators in the stand.

 

“One of the banners was taken down immediately, however the owners of the other banner refused to take it down.

 

“Police then intervened, explaining to the owners that the banner was being taken to ensure the safety of all supporters and that it would be available to collect at reception after the game.

 

“The banner was not removed due to its content."

 

The Paisley Loyal fans group representative said: "The three remaining police officers in our section completely agreed with me that he was out of order and they were left with hundreds of unhappy supporters due to his actions!"

 

Worrying to hear @FoxbarLoyal had their club flag confiscated by police this weekend. Our club stands with you ???? pic.twitter.com/G1nPDJCR28

— Rathfriland R.S.C. (@RathfrilandGRSC) October 26, 2015

 

The Sons of Struth Rangers fans group said they would help with any complaint and put an idea to Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

 

Evening Times:

 

The representative added: "When collecting the flag at full time he once again apologised but it's not good enough as the way he treated us was unbelievable and completely unjustified."

 

Picture I took today. That Paisley Loyal flag got taken away moments later. Any ideas why? Nothing offensive on it. pic.twitter.com/Pz7UJObBaR

— Empire (@EmpireFF) October 25, 2015

 

Protest group Fans Against Criminalisation, which is campaigning for the scrapping of a controversial anti-bigotry law designed to stamp out offensive behaviour at matches in Scotland, believed the incident was "more political policing from Police Scotland".

 

More political policing from Police Scotland. The flag of the British state removed from Rangers' fans yesterday. pic.twitter.com/k9pCwV9Azs

— FAC (@FACKilltheBill) October 26, 2015

 

The banner also contains a composite of the Northern Ireland national flag and the Saltire featuring the Red Hand of Ulster which is used is seen as a Protestant symbol.

 

The incident comes three weeks after concerns about the level of policing at a banner demonstration planned for Douglas Park, Hamilton which led to anti football law banners being prevented from being taken in.

 

The Scottish Government pushed through the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 in a bid to get tough on sectarianism in the aftermath of the Old Firm 'shame game' in 2011.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13897530.Police_say_loyalist_fan_banner_was_confiscated_at_Rangers_v_St_Mirren_game_for_safety_reasons/

[Frankie 8,190]

Nonsensical stuff.

[True_Ger_1872 2]

There was a statement from Paisley Loyal floating around twitter fully describing the incident. It seemed that the officer returned and apologised - then apologised after the match when the group collected the flag.

 

Just seems utterly bizarre.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Over zealous policing and Stewarding, compounded by back-peddling and circling of the wagons, aided and abetted by bullshitting from Police Scotland.

[der Berliner 3,319]

General remark.

As I work in that sort of business too (on occasion), i.e. stewarding concerts and sports events, if there are house rules or demands of the artists/teams/you name it with regards to e.g. banners (whether size or material or if at all) there is little leeway for stewards or police. Likewise, what any given steward or policeman says "at the spot" may very well not exactly convey the actual "house rule" (though you would expect that a policeman should know anyway), pending on the direct instructions he got on the day (and how much he listened to it).

With regard to the banner as such, do keep in mind that certain sizes will have to be registered in advance, not necessarily to inspect it, but that the people responsible for block/stand security have to have fire distinguishers or sand buckets ready. Whether or not the banners are inflammable etc..

 

Again, just a general remark people should keep in mind ere going ballistic. If all the above was done and in line with regulations, they have every reason to do so, of course.

[calscot 0]

Slightly off topic, but that is a piss poor flag.

 

The most dominant part of it is an English flag for a Paisley supporters club of a Scottish team - what's that all about? There is also nothing wrong with an NI reference if that's where you're from, and we do have a big support there, but when you're from Paisley it's just a bit weird and I see it as more pathetic than the Tims with their "Irishness", as there is less of a connection.

 

Sometimes I wonder why so many Scots are not proud just to be Scottish and why being a Rangers fan is just not enough.

[Chibmark 15]

Whilst I agree with calscot's final paragraph, I actually see the flag as the Royal Navy ensign with added Rangers badge and Scottish saltire.

 

[aweebluesoandso 290]

It's not the best flag i have seen, but it carries some of the symbolism I like connected to our support and club. It has the club's crest's, I'm Scottish, i'm British, l live in England (as does many of the support) and it has a representation of our many thousands of our Ulster brethren. It's not in any way controversial, in fact it's underplayed and plain imo.

Edited October 28, 2015 by aweebluesoandso

[Darthter 542]

It's not the best flag i have seen, but it carries some of the symbolism I like connected to our support and club. It has the club's crest's, I'm Scottish, i'm British, l live in England (as does many of the support) and it has a representation of our many thousands of our Ulster brethren. It's not in any way controversial, in fact it's underplayed and plain imo.

 

While the component parts appeal to you....certain parts don't apply to the location of the supports club.

There are discussions about Scottish team/British flag, but I'll not go into that - both are not out of place. However, the St Georges flag (England) & the N. Ireland references have no connection with Paisley & I see no reason why a Paisley based club would feel the need to include them on a flag.

[calscot 0]

It's not the best flag i have seen, but it carries some of the symbolism I like connected to our support and club. It has the club's crest's, I'm Scottish, i'm British, l live in England (as does many of the support)

 

I'm Scottish, British an live in England too - but don't see how that's relevant to Paisley... Paisley is in Britain, so that's the least of my distaste - but we do play in a Scottish league and are completely barred by the English from a British one to our great detriment.

 

and it has a representation of our many thousands of our Ulster brethren.

 

Again don't see the slightest relevance to Paisley. That's why it's a piss poor flag - it's all over the place and does not represent the origin of the supporters club. Where is the American flag for the thousands of supports there - or Australia or Canada? Where's the Irish Tricolor for our brethren there? Or the German flag for DB and the many German supporters he informs us of. Then there's the Russian Rangers who are about the most useful foreign supporters we have as they provide extended highlights of our games.

 

By including some and not others, are you not ironically snubbing many of our foreign bretheren?

 

To be honest, I don't think there is much value in prominence of either the Uniion Jack or the Saltire on a club flag. All the teams in Scotland can do this for the same reasons, so what distinguishes us? Americans are much more patriotic than Brits but can you imagine every supporter of sports team there, having a big portion dedicated to the stars and stripes. The rest of the world would really be taking the piss.

 

The saving grace for this flag is the crest and badge.

 

To me it's the English equivalence of "chavishness", where instead of having a bit of class, it goes for some notional, lowest, common values. It's just another reason for fans of other teams to have disdain for us - especially the non-Rangers supporting population of Paisley.

 

As a Rangers supporting Scot in England, it really doesn't make me proud.

 

It's not in any way controversial, in fact it's underplayed and plain imo.

 

I wasn't saying it was controversial, just piss poor due tolacking in relevance, imagination and class.

 

Chavs aren't generally controversial, just cringe-worthy.