"Oppose the ‘anti-sectarian’ authoritarians" say take a liberty scotland

[Martin Luther 53]

Oppose the ‘anti-sectarian’ authoritarians

‘No one should be subjected to intolerance, prejudice or violence in 21st Century Scotland’. So reads the Scottish Executive website discussing Banning Orders, introduced in 2006, orders that can ban abusive or bigoted fans from attending any football game anywhere in the world for up to ten years. Ironically, as the authoritarian discussion about how to rid Scotland of sectarianism rumbles on it appears that the Scottish Government are illustrating their own far more worrying form of intolerance, prejudice and violence.

Tolerance, it appears, today means not tolerating views that we don’t like. Not too long ago this was called authoritarianism. Now there is talk of making sectarian conduct at football matches a specific criminal offence punishable by five years in jail, with similar powers to target bigotry on the internet. Not too long ago challenging bigotry and sectarianism was seen as a political challenge, today, like many other things, it has become something to be policed out of existence. But then even this is to take the reactionary approach of the SNP and today’s pundits too seriously. Any serious analysis of sectarianism in Scotland would have to conclude that it is largely a fiction. In fact if we take Rangers and Celtic out of the equation - where is this sectarianism? We can no doubt find some stupid kids fighting and call it sectarianism, but previously sectarianism was a powerful force in society, something that meant people would be denied jobs, houses, would never inter-marry, or associate with the ‘other’ side. Today none of this holds true. Celtic and Rangers fans may shout IRA or Fenian this and that, but they then troop off home to their Protestant wife or Catholic mates. Today ‘sectarianism’ is a 90 minute game and the main reason we are aware of it at all is because politicians and pundits are grandstanding, attempting to look tough and purposeful by doing their ‘thing’, which today means being ‘outraged’, standing up for the ‘offended’ and introducing all sorts of draconian law and forms of policing.

Strangely, this whole furore has erupted largely because of a few extreme acts – the sending of a bomb to Neil Lennon (for which there are already laws to send these idiots down), the scuffle between him and Ally McCoist (which actually wasn’t extreme at all but was portrayed as such), and the ridiculous assault (another criminal act) on Lennon at Hearts.

These events have magically been tied into the hundreds of thousands of everyday Old Firm fans who shout and sing at football matches. Here we find the prejudice of the Scottish elite about football fans, with their own comments filled with bile and hatred about this imaginary sectarian force in society, backed up with serious violence in the form of imprisonment for up to 5 years for singing a song that someone somewhere finds offensive.

No one should be subjected to intolerance, prejudice or violence in 21st Century Scotland, except that is for Celtic and Rangers fans. This is the real shame on Scotland.

[Martin Luther 53]

Letter: It's just rudeness

Published Date: 18 June 2011

Take a Liberty (Scotland) has launched a letter of opposition against the proposed new laws that could see people imprisoned for up to five years for sectarian chants or blogs. My own opinion is that if this becomes law it will be the most authoritarian piece of legislation in recent history.

Talk of "tolerance" by the Scottish Government (your report, 17 June) masks an outrageous level of intolerance towards football fans who are somehow blamed for everything from domestic and street violence to binge drinking, sectarianism and racism.

Laws already exist to lock people up for acts of violence, but magically to link singing songs or writing rubbish online with serious criminal acts is irrational and reactionary.

Tolerance, it appears, today, means not tolerating views we don't like, or more to the point, not even tolerating football fans throwing tasteless insults at one another before they troop off home to their Catholic wives, Protestant pals and multi-denominational workmates.

Even if sectarianism was a big problem, could this be resolved by banning what people think, say or write? Should hatred even be illegal? If so then lock me up as Mr Salmond is quickly rising to the top of my list!

Alex Salmond talks about tackling prejudice, however, the real and more worrying prejudice that I see is coming from the authorities towards ordinary people who simply lack the politically correct etiquette that he would like to enforce upon them.

Singing and blogging, being rude and indeed offensive is not the same as stabbing, beating or organising a pogrom and in a free society they must be tolerated. And let's face it - most of the time the chanting and blogging is little more than a form of football name calling. In all this talk of violence it is worth noting that being locked up in prison for five years for saying, singing or writing something that someone doesn't like is a form of violence that is both barbaric and astronomically intolerant.

(Dr) Stuart Waiton

University of Abertay

Dundee

[luv2CtheRANGERSscore 3]

I see the problem with this Doctors reasoning mate

COMMON SENSE ! Tut tut

[caseyjones 3,009]

They get my vote. Sadly, most of our support would disagree, with too many obsessed with scoring points against Celtic.

[stuart1994 4,417]

I don't care about sectarianism, I'm a Rangers fan. I'm starting to think people care more about all this shit than rangers !.

[luv2CtheRANGERSscore 3]

I don't care about sectarianism, I'm a Rangers fan. I'm starting to think people care more about all this shit than rangers !.

Neither do I

trained as a scientist I'm all to aware we are all the same in essence but our beliefs will differ from time to time

It should raise fair minded debate not more laws or predjudice it sickens me that I'm a bigot because my outlook on life Is different to some mad shellik fan or the first minister who are all human like myself I'm flawed and so are they

Let's talk about these issues not hide behind laws

Martin Luther king jr led a piece for piece campaign out of dignity and safe in the knowledge human nature would prevail and it did why can't we do the same ?