Trust Comments on Sectarianism Issue

[Frankie 8,157]

Following the game at Inverness and subsequent media coverage, the Trust wishes to make its position on the relevant issues absolutely clear.

 

Firstly, we would like to stress that the Club and the vast majority of the support condemn the wreckless self-indulgence of a small minority of supporters. This conduct helps the enemies of the Club by offering them an easy target, allowing them to perpetuate the lie that most Rangers fans are bigots. The Trust again asks those who genuinely care about Rangers to consider how their conduct is perceived. Abusing the Pope and using the ââ?¬Ë?fââ?¬â?¢ word are obvious examples of behaviour which will ultimately see Rangers FC fined and drastically punished.

 

Over the summer Trust representatives met with the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs, the Irish Football Association and political representatives who offered practical advice on the key issues. Elected Assembly member Gregory Campbell, a Rangers fan of long-standing, commented that he supported legitimate cultural expression but stressed that the vast and overwhelming majority of the Unionist community rejected support for terrorism or sectarianism in any form. We support that view.

 

This issue highlights the clear and obvious need for the Club and the support to sit down together and identify precisely what is and isn�t acceptable behaviour. The Trust unequivocally deplores bigotry, racism and sectarianism but will challenge attempts to criminalise legitimate expressions of identity and culture. The fact that members of the chattering classes find these songs distasteful is unfortunate but ultimately irrelevant.

 

Secondly, we deplore the sensationalist nature of much of this weekendââ?¬â?¢s media coverage, much of which amounted to deliberate distortion. For instance, media commentators suggesting either ââ?¬Ë?The Sashââ?¬â?¢ or ââ?¬Ë?Derryââ?¬â?¢s Wallsââ?¬â?¢ are ââ?¬Ë?sectarianââ?¬â?¢ are pursuing their own political agenda. Neither of these songs could offend any decent-minded person and we challenge anyone to point out sectarian words within either song.

 

Finally, the Trust remains willing to play a full and active part in tackling the root causes of bigotry and sectarianism. Our view is that these problems are centuries old and not the result of a few football supporters singing songs during the football season. It will take more than finger-wagging to resolve these issues: unless we take into account behaviour and values within society as a whole, including politics, education and cultural factors, nothing of value will ultimately be achieved.

 

http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=130&Itemid=1

[bmck 117]

whatastatement. who writes these? top marks.

[johnnyk 158]

spot on and why Rangers don't have the balls to come out with such statments is beyond me.............

[Frankie 8,157]

Our media reps do the bulk of these kind of statements with input from the rest of the board if and when required.

 

[bmck 117]

spot on and why Rangers don't have the balls to come out with such statments is beyond me.............

 

EXACTLY. the Trust does this without turning a profit off the supporters - we aren't even defended by those whose wages we pay.

[Super_Ally 0]

Another good statement. Spot on.

 

Can't get away from the fact that this is nothing but a witch hunt. How any sane minded person can disagree that sectarian schooling will lead to greater problems than a bit of singing at a football game is beyond me. But as I say, they aren't really interested in sorting out the real root causes of the "sectarian problem".

[calscot 0]

I've emailed the sports editor of the Sunday Mail as I was highly offended by their sectarian story on their back page which demonised the Orange Order.

 

Dear Sir,

 

Sectarianism reared its ugly head at the weekend - and we�re not just talking about at Inverness. It was the highly offensive news story on the back of the Sunday Mail that took bigotry that took me by surprise. A number of Rangers fans did indeed abuse the name of the Pope; however, the Mail added fuel to the fire with retaliatory bigotry towards another sect, that of the Orange Order. Your reporter did this by implying that two of the Order�s completely innocent songs were somehow unacceptable behaviour that they should be eradicated.

 

I have no interest in the Orange Order myself, and think their songs are completely irrelevant to Rangers FC and would prefer them not to be sung at football matches: but I abhor bigotry and while I also regularly condemn the bigoted minority of Rangers fans for their *** chants, I deplore it even more, when bigotry is institutionalised by a national newspaper, which peddles its shocking propaganda on their back page.

 

I challenge your paper to either publish an explanation of the offensive lyrics in The Sash or Derry�s walls, or to publish an apology to the Orange Order and the singers who have been so badly slandered and abused. The reporter in question should also be educated in impartiality and how to control his own bigotry.

 

The words that I have heard for the Sash would be akin to Catholics singing about their fatherââ?¬â?¢s statue of Mary ââ?¬â?? would that be sectarian? Derryââ?¬â?¢s Walls is about apprentice boys defending their city against an attack by a ruthless aggressor who wanted to overthrow Ireland and then the British mainland in the name of French expansionism. Defending against an aggressor is never bigoted in any way which is why Flower of Scotland is not a song against England, but of overcoming overwhelming odds to keep your own identity and freedom, as well as your lives.

 

It seems any contrived slight against the Catholic Church by Rangers fans is condemned across our nation (quite rightly so when it is justified) but sectarianism and bigotry towards sympathisers and members of the Orange Order is, unbelievably, actively encouraged.

 

If your newspaper is against bigotry at all and reported this in ignorance, then surely you can see that attacking innocent songs of a legitimate religious group is highly counter productive as well as hypocritical.

 

I am hoping you can show that your newspaper has some decency and impartiality; that sectarianism is not rife throughout your company.

[bmck 117]

there's a small theological inconsistency in there - there's a huuuuuuge difference between the oo singing about king billy and catholics singing about mary, the very difference over which protestantism arose - but the sentiment is spot on.

 

perhaps a candidate for editing and putting on the site?

[calscot 0]

Hi Barry, I was alluding to the fact that someone singing about their father's sash for the OO seems little different to me than someone in another sect singing about one of their own religious "things". A statue of Mary was the first thing I thought of that fitted the bill for Catholics.

 

Shit, looking at it again I see why it needed editing... doh!

[Super_Ally 0]

Tbh in this pc gone mad society and with the MOPE's well ahead in the mock offence stakes I am coming round to the same opinion as those who suggest the only way we can defend ourselves is to take the same tack and complain about every imagined offence possible. Widespread and mass complaints to every available media outlet and football related bodies.

 

The mhanks brought it here though.

 

And the above is not a defence of FT P etc that has to go, merely a defence of wrongful attacks on inoffensive (although perhaps irrelevant to football) behaviours.