ATROCIOUS AND SHAMEFUL
Swinney slams fans who broke regulations to party and criticises Rangers over ‘silence’ Fears of new Covid outbreak after scenes called ‘demoralising’ by Chief Medical Officer
THE fallout will no doubt continue for some time yet. Memorial benches destroyed, Covid regulations breached, police officers assaulted. In a season that has seen Rangers make all the right decisions on the field of play, the club have now been accused of failing to speak out in a timely and emphatic manner after their fans took to the streets at the weekend to celebrate their title triumph.
The Ibrox club may well take issue with that charge, but what’s clear is that, during Sunday’s turmoil on the streets of Glasgow, no further statement was made either on the club’s website or on social media calling for fans to return home.
As is so often the case in this age of coronavirus, an error of judgment has ended in the beautiful game being given a kicking by politicians.
The tens of thousands of Rangers fans who stayed home on their team’s titlewinning weekend may not be overly moved by John Swinney’s expression of sympathy for their locked-down status.
Some will instinctively circle the wagons, meanwhile, in response to the Deputy First Minister criticising their club’s refusal to intervene when things got out of hand on Sunday night.
You might not find too many complaining, for instance, about the fact that yesterday’s official Rangers statement contained not a single word of condemnation for the law-breakers.
Yet surely this goes beyond tribal loyalties and cuts to the heart of the argument, made by Swinney yesterday, about basic fairness.
‘I think what’s not fair is the fact that millions of Scottish citizens have made massive sacrifices for the whole year,’ said the SNP politician.
‘And they’ve had to give up on really precious moments of their lives with members of their families — in some cases, the last moments of their lives.
‘And then they had to watch that last night. That’s what’s unfair. It’s just absolutely atrocious that they had to see that.’
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, continued the theme as he declared: ‘From a personal perspective, it was quite demoralising to see so many people coming together in some of the scenes we saw.
‘And I am quite sure that my colleagues across the NHS, who at this stage are pretty exhausted in terms of their own response, felt that same way.’
Swinney himself stressed the importance of ‘personal responsibility’ as he reflected on the collective refusal to comply witnessed outside Ibrox on Saturday and then at Ibrox and in George Square on Sunday.
He sidestepped the issue of ‘strict liability’ being put on the statute books, which would hold clubs directly responsible for the actions of their supporters. But he and his advisers clearly feel that Rangers did not do enough either in the build-up to the game or once it became clear that there was a potential public-health disaster unfolding.
Swinney said: ‘On messaging, I think it would have been of essential advantage to all of us — indeed, I think it would have been the duty of Rangers — to say clearly and simply, to fans, that they should not come out to celebrate. And, when they did, they should have gone home.
‘The silence from Rangers was deafening. That is a matter of profound regret.
‘So if the club, on a day that I acknowledge is a day of joy for the club, had told fans to follow the restrictions in place like every other citizen in the country is doing, go home and avoid the crowded scenes we had outside Ibrox and in George Square, messaging of that type from the club could have helped to defuse the situation — and, crucially, to disperse the crowd.
‘But it didn’t happen. And that’s one of the deep elements of concern that the government has about the conduct of Rangers.
‘I think there should have been — and it would have been welcome — sustained messaging from Rangers, throughout the weekend, that fans should disperse.
‘It would have been helpful if the club had done that. And that would have given a signal, a very clear signal from the leadership of the club, of the importance of fans following that guidance that the government has put out for the best part of the year.
‘Some of the behaviour that took place, whether it’s people being intoxicated in public places, damaging memorial benches in
George Square, which I think is a grievous insult to those concerned, is about the conduct of individuals. Those individuals, the police have made arrests and they make these judgments.
‘But fundamentally, there has to be very clear messaging from the club about the need for people to stay home. And I think that was absent at the weekend.
‘I feel really sorry for all the Rangers fans who stayed at home and celebrated in their own home, in some cases probably on their own, at what was a major moment for the club. And they’ve had that undermined by what went on outside Ibrox and in George Square.
‘These good folk, who are entitled to celebrate the success of their club, probably feel a bit scunnered by it all.
‘All of us recognise that winning the league was a special moment for Rangers Football Club. And, before I say more, I want to congratulate the club on their success — and thank all those fans who celebrated at home and followed the rules.
‘But the behaviour of some fans has been an absolute disgrace and has undoubtedly cast a shadow over what should have been a special day for the team.
‘The success we’ve had in recent weeks in reducing case numbers has been down to people across Scotland sticking to very tough rules. To see so many people deliberately flouting these rules, with no regard for the safety of others, is shameful.
‘Events like yesterday risk spreading the virus. And they show no regard or respect at all for the millions of households across Scotland who have stuck to the rules, who have not been able to meet up with friends and family to fully celebrate birthdays and other milestones or, in some cases, to attend funeral services of their loved ones.
‘The government and Police
Scotland reminded Rangers of the need to advise fans to adhere to the current restrictions, in discussion on February 26 and March 5. It is a matter of profound regret that this did not happen.’
The main concern now is that the weekend mixing of large groups, at a time when the law restricts residents of Scotland to meeting just one person from another household out of doors, might lead to a fresh outbreak of Covid.
A lesser but still important concern, for sport at least, is how the Scottish Government might react if fans don’t get the message. There will be ample opportunity, between now and the end of the season, for the lunatic fringe to express their contempt for civic society. With devastating consequences.
‘We all want to get some other prizes in football — namely, the UEFA matches taking place over the summer,’ said Swinney, clearly meaning the Euro 2020 fixtures scheduled for Hampden.
‘We’ve got to take enormous care to make sure that we don’t have a repeat of the weekend.’
The behaviour of some fans has been an absolute disgrace