We Are The People - Sectarian

[ian1964 10,444]

THE C****C BLOG

 

 

When I posted an hour or so ago on Pedro Caixinha’s latest brainwave, the decision to ban green boots and paint a sectarian slogan on the dressing room wall, I had a feeling the reaction to that would be a mixture of anger and disbelief, and I was right.

 

One Celtic fan I know decided to take the matter further. She’s not your typical Angry From Tunbridge Wells sort of person, but this offended her enough that she’s done something she would never normally do; she’s emailed the SFA with her disgust, and asked for a comment.

 

She doesn’t want to be named, for obvious reasons; she remembers only too well the treatment meted out to Angela Haggerty and other female Celtic fans who’ve publicly gone out on the limb, and doesn’t want that kind of attention.

 

I don’t blame her. But she also wanted her disgust out there, and on the record, to give the SFA an added incentive to respond.

 

She has promised to keep me updated, and I will publish any reply here on her behalf.

 

I strongly suspect she’s not the only one who’ll take action like this.

 

“To whom it may concern,

 

I am a Scottish female football fan. Over the years my family and I have invested time and money into the game. It’s a passion for us and we love being involved.

 

However, I am dismayed to learn that Rangers Football Club are being allowed to plaster the sectarian slogan ‘We are the people’ all over their walls and are proceeding with banning green boots. This ignites and continues a very long-running sectarian element to the game. The image this sends out is that sectarianism is okay. Surely this cannot be the stance of the SFA? Are you allowing such practices in the game?

 

If nothing is done then it becomes very clear that the SFA is okay with sectarianism. And I’m not okay with that. I would like a reply telling me what your stance is on sectarianism and what you plan to do about Rangers and their clear hatred of Catholics.

 

This latest lot of nonsense from this shambles of a club is making for an international embarrassment.

 

And in turn it makes Scottish football look bad.”

 

In addition to the above email, she wanted to explain herself to all of you, so you can understand where her anger has come from over this.

 

“This morning, while perusing my Sunday morning news items, I came across what has possibly been one of the clearest indicators that this planet is going mad. It was about Pedro Caixinha’s new ‘code of conduct’ for his players.

 

The green boots being banned… that’s small-mindedness. And not really the key issue with his plans for the club and players. But it’s an important one too, as it also suggests that Sevco are intimidated by, or offended by, a colour. Let that sink in for a bit. A football club, its players, its manager, its directors, its fans, are all intimidated by a colour.

 

It’s just wrong. But of course, there’s more.

 

A Catholic manager, who has bought Catholic players to Ibrox, has openly agreed (or asked) to display the sectarian slogan ‘We Are The People’ in the dressing rooms. Perhaps, as Portuguese is his first language, he doesn’t fully grasp, or he can’t really translate, the intent, the meaning, behind the phrase properly. That’s literally the only excuse I can think of for this shambles being given the go ahead. And even then, there’s many problems with that excuse.

 

So I have fired off an email to the SFA. I want answers.

 

As far as I was aware, everyone in the game was supposed to be working together to stamp out this sectarianism. Not promote it.”

 

She’s not alone in wondering what the Hell things are coming to when this stuff is allowed to stand.

 

And I know, as she does, that there are Sevco fans and even some in the media and elsewhere who will vehemently deny the charge that the phrase has sectarian, even racist, connotations … but how stupid do you have to be not to understand how that particular slogan, and especially in this particular month, can be interpreted in such a fashion?

 

I believe in placing things in context.

 

In the context of the religious anthems that come out of those stands, and in the context of their uber-nationalism and “cultural norms”, in the way their club promotes itself, from the words of its chairman to directors who have no problem using the Loyalist slogan “No Surrender” on national television, to the stands where the Red Hand Salute is explained away as supporting a holocaust of Catholics rather than Jews … in the context of all that it does not take an Enigma codebreaker to understand exactly what it means to them.

 

If the SFA allows that to be painted on a dressing room wall it will be an outrage. Every player of whatever background who has to look at it should make a complaint. Every fan should be writing a letter, expressing their dismay and their disgust.

 

One already has.

 

I am happy to publish it on her behalf.

Edited July 3, 2017 by ian1964

[Darthter 542]

What exactly is sectarian about WATP???

[ian1964 10,444]

What exactly is sectarian about WATP???

 

The same as the hokey cokey, penny arcade, the bouncy

Edited July 3, 2017 by ian1964

[SteveC 150]

She is from a branch (or confession, to use the technical term) of Christianity that believes they are the only people allowed into heaven. That sounds pretty sectarian to me....

[BrahimHemdani 1]

It has never occurred to me that "We Are the People" is remotely sectarian and I note that the lady in question offers no explanation.

 

However, I agree with her about what she describes as the red hand salute insofar as I perceive it as Nazi and/or Fascist and I find that offensive, whatever the intention.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Ian, I think it would be helpful if you would post the link or source below the article you are quoting.

[ian1964 10,444]

Ian, I think it would be helpful if you would post the link or source below the article you are quoting.

 

I always do post a link to any article I post!, however It's the C****c Blog, not sure I want to post that on here?, if you want it I can pm it to you?, although the post is as it is in here!

Edited July 3, 2017 by ian1964

[Bluedell 5,354]

The fact that no detailed explanation is given as to why it's sectarian is a dead giveaway. There's a few veiled implications but that's as much as they can come up with but the fact that they can't shows they don't have an argument. It's just something in their heads that says that they don't like it so it must be sectarian.

 

As for the green boots issue, it's really nothing to be taken seriously. I'm sure that there are rational football fans who are actually laughing at us for doing it. It's not sectarian, unless they are arguing that the colour green is sectarian.

[Walterbear 557]

She has no interest in football but seems to know all about 'sevco' in her own words.

 

What is wrong with banning green boots? Have Celtic ever worn blue socks? Does anyone really care. Why mention it if she isn't bothered?

 

Does she seriously believe that WATP is sectarian? I presume she means it is anti-catholic. If Celtic fans want to say they are the people would anyone regard it as anti-Protestant?

 

Some people are clearly bonkers with too much time on their hands.

Edited July 3, 2017 by Walterbear

[Bearman 9]

 

The green boots being banned… that’s small-mindedness. And not really the key issue with his plans for the club and players. But it’s an important one too, as it also suggests that Sevco are intimidated by, or offended by, a colour. Let that sink in for a bit. A football club, its players, its manager, its directors, its fans, are all intimidated by a colour.

 

 

What a zoomer!