This law needs a careful review

IN your report on the Offensive Behaviour at Football legislation (“Celtic warn of rival sabotage with new laws”, The Herald, October 27), you write that the Equality Network is in “full support” of the current laws. That is not the case.

In our response to MSP James Kelly’s consultation on this, we said we “fully oppose” blanket repeal of the law. However, we do think the law needs to be carefully reviewed, in the context of a range of other measures, and then potentially amended.

The legislation was rushed through in 2011 without the usual consultation, which almost certainly would have resulted in better law.

We think that blanket repeal could compound that mistake – what is needed first is thorough consideration of how to deal with the problem of expressions of hate and prejudice at football, and with threatening online and other communication, which the act also covers.

It is undeniable that sectarian, racist and homophobic abuse are common at football matches.

Those kinds of abuse would be unacceptable if directed at a work colleague or at a stranger on the other side of the street, and they should be unacceptable at football also.

Blanket repeal could send exactly the opposite message.

Any form of legislation will only ever be part of the answer to this, and the main focus should be on creating the whole answer. Tim Hopkins, Equality Network, 30 Bernard Street, Edinburgh.

The changeable weather over the east coast helped me capture this picture of the dramatic light on the East Sands and harbour at St Andrews. It was taken with a Nikon D3s and 24-70 mm lens.