SPL on alert over racist chant

[ian1964 10,415]

Those Rangers supporters who continue to ignore pleas from club officials to refrain from singing the Famine Song may see Walter Smith's team penalised by the game's ruling body. Strathclyde Police consider singing Famine Song to be an arrestable offence.

On Sunday, just as Celtic chairman John Reid issued a statement describing the song as "racist and deeply offensive", thousands among the travelling Rangers support sang it loudly and repeatedly during the 3-0 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road.

 

The public view of the Rangers Supporters Trust is that the song is merely banter and it is true that it is mainly the refrain (to the tune of Sloop John B) "The Famine's over, why don't you go home?" which is sung.

 

However, the verses of the song are undeniably racist, accusing Irish immigrants of, among other crimes, raping their children, and Strathclyde Police have confirmed that they consider the singing of such songs as an arrestable offence.

 

Now the Scottish Premier League has revealed that they are monitoring the situation. The SPL introduced fresh regulations last season and a key change from previous legislation is that clubs are now held responsible for the behaviour of their followers at away grounds.

 

Yesterday, Greg Shields, the SPL's marketing and communications director, refused to pre-judge the issue but admitted they are keeping tabs on the problem.

 

"We are still waiting for our match delegate's report," he said. "However, concerns have already been raised about the lyrics of this song and we've had meetings with Strathclyde Police on this matter. Our first step was to gather their views and they've been speaking to the Crown Office on this subject. We're keeping a close eye on it and if this is flagged up then we would take the relevant next steps. We brought these rules into play last year in order to address these issues."

 

"We would not comment on the lyrics of any particular song," said a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police last night. "However, where any songs or chants are perceived to be offensive, whether in a racist or sectarian manner, efforts will be made to identify those responsible and appropriate action will be taken by officers.

 

"Strathclyde Police continues to work closely with clubs and authorities to tackle racist and sectarian behaviour that unfortunately can prevail within certain sections of Scottish football."

 

Of course, taking direct action against a large group of people in a confined space poses logistical problems and could endanger the safety of police officers, as the spokeswoman conceded. "When practical, we would go in and deal with it," she said. "When there are thousands of people doing it then that becomes more difficult but we would still endeavour to identify those responsible and take action."

 

Lothian and Borders Police adopted a different stance. They disclosed that only one arrest had been made during Sunday's game and that it was for an unrelated offence.

 

"There is no investigation ongoing in relation to any songs sung by fans at yesterdays' Hibs v Rangers match," said an official statement. "There is a burden of proof required by the Procurator Fiscal when proving such a charge and there was insufficient evidence to identify or charge any individual with this offence."

 

It is a problem which shows no sign of going away, though, and Walter Smith, whose side have responded impressively since their traumatic Champions League elimination at the hands of FBK Kaunas, must despair at the intransigence of that section of his support.

[Bluedell 5,329]

The song and the chant are two totally different things.

 

The club has made its view of the song clear, and that is that it isn't racist, which is obviously correct, no matter how those at Celtic try and spin it. It would appear that the PF's office may take a similar view.

[pete 2,499]

Is it a bit strange to wonder why we don't just sing songs of support for Rangers?

[Bluedell 5,329]

So we shouldn't sing songs to wind up our biggest rivals?

[pete 2,499]

So we shouldn't sing songs to wind up our biggest rivals?

 

Personally i would rather our supporters sing songs of support for our own players but in between the Celtic hating\wind up songs some supporters have time to call our players lazy bar-stewards,pricks, or other such motivating chants.

To be honest i don't care about Celtic off the football field,I am a Rangers supporter not a Celtic hater.

[fraser54 0]

Fuck The Spl !

[Bluedell 5,329]

Fair enough, but surely it's all part of football rivalry? Don't tell me a win against Celtic doesn't mean much more than a win against Killie to you? Singing a song to wind them up doesn't mean you have to hate them, and people who don't sing that somg are as likely to give our players abuse as those that don't.

[calscot 0]

So we shouldn't sing songs to wind up our biggest rivals?

 

Well it does seem to continually backfire and end up winding us up far more than them. Really, what are we achieving? It seems the Tims win EVERY time. We're being trounced by them and it's incredibly embarrassing.

 

Maybe our fans just aren't clever or witty enough to do a proper wind up... we've all got mates who are like that (crap at wind ups) - and don't you just want to advise them to shut up now and again?

 

IMHO we'd wind up the Tims far more by being squeaky clean and giving them nothing real to complain about instead of continually falling right into their hands.

[Wija 0]

It just sets in concrete that they hate us more than they support there own team.

 

Why is it racist to sing about a famine that they openly use as a means to gain favour in there chants. If it is racist for us to sing about it - no matter in which context - then it must be racist for them to use it.

 

We merely use it as an advisory link in our chant, we do not say for instance "ha ha millions of you bheggars died", we merely link the fact that the Famine had ended years ago, and that they all wish to be Oirish, so go to Ireland.

 

How Reid in his little tinted world can even try to get this over as racist shows the die in the wool bigotry against people from Scotland who wish to be Scottish/British.

[pete 2,499]

Fair enough, but surely it's all part of football rivalry? Don't tell me a win against Celtic doesn't mean much more than a win against Killie to you? Singing a song to wind them up doesn't mean you have to hate them, and people who don't sing that somg are as likely to give our players abuse as those that don't.

 

I just feel some people are busier hating Celtic than they are supporting rangers. And yes i do love beating them on the park. I just don't understand why, some people hate them so much. At the end of the day life would be a lot more boring without them. I only know the Famine bit of the song and that is a bit of banter in my eyes. If in the other parts of the song it goes on about woman being raped then even for me i feel it does become more than a wind up.

Living in Holland has obviously tamed me down as i am not in the same mix as you guy's and i would probably be more bitter if i still lived in Glasgow.

Nobody gives a shit about religion here except maybe a few older people.

And to be honest i like it that way.