Axed, SNP’s beleaguered bigotry law

A CONTROVERSIAL law aimed at tackling bigotry in Scottish football was yesterday axed after MSPs voted to repeal it.

It was Nicola Sturgeon’s first legislative defeat as First Minister.

The Offensive Behaviour at Football Act was introduced by former first minister Alex Salmond in 2012 in a bid to stamp out sectarianism.

But it was branded ‘flawed’ and was heavily criticised by legal experts, fans’ groups and equalities organisations.

Opposition parties united to pass Labour MSP James Kelly’s Bill to scrap the Act by 62 votes to 60.

Mr Kelly has described the Act as ‘the worst piece of legislation in the history of the Scottish parliament’.

But Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing claimed repealing the law sends out an ‘appalling signal’ to ‘bigots and bullies’.

The Act will be officially scrapped next month after Mr Kelly’s Bill receives royal assent.

Yesterday, the Scottish Daily Mail revealed that prosecutors have already ditched the legislation following directions by Lord Advocate James Wolffe.

During yesterday’s debate, Mr Kelly said the Act had ‘been a failure’ and added it ‘has not tackled bigotry, it has been widely criticised by lawyers and human rights groups, and football fans have been treated as second class citizens’.

He added: ‘The reality is the legislation brought forward by the Government and passed in parliament in December 2011 against the will of every opposition party has not worked.’

Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the Act treated football fans ‘as some sort of homogeneous, malevolent, ignorant entity’ and the offending behaviour in it was covered in laws which already existed.

Following the vote, Mr Kelly said: ‘This legislation has been discredited and I am delighted my Bill has led to its repeal.

‘The law was a simplistic attempt to solve a complex problem. Sectar-

‘Tackle sectarianism at source’

ianism is a problem in Scotland that goes back generations. It can’t be solved in 90 minutes on a Saturday.’

Mr Kelly said he hoped all parties could now work to provide proper support and investment in ‘anti-sectarianism initiatives’, which he claims have been cut under the SNP.

He added: ‘Opposition parties have united to defeat the SNP and repeal the Football Act – it is now essential every party unites to tackle sectarianism at source.’

But Miss Ewing said she and the Scottish Government were ‘deeply disappointed’.