Green Brigade scales back displays to fund court fights
Cash to provide legal assistance for supporters facing ‘offensive behaviour’ action
COLOURFUL fan displays on the terraces of Celtic Park will be scaled back with the extra cash being ploughed into legal funds for supporters facing court action for “offensive behaviour”.
Celtic FC ultras group The Green Brigade has announced that it will pare down its choreographed displays in a bid to fight several ongoing prosecutions against eight of its members.
In a statement, the group said Police Scotland had “heightened [its] war on football supporters” by seeking to “abuse the obscene powers” of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.
The legislation, introduced by the majority SNP administration in 2011 without the support of opposition parties, followed a bad-tempered Old Firm Game which saw rival managers Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon clash on the touchline.
But it has since come under fire from fans, clubs and leading legal figures.
In 2013, Dundee sheriff Richard Davidson said the laws were “mince” and could have been “drafted by someone who has never been to a match” as he cleared a Celtic fan who sang an Irish republican anthem at a match.
Celtic FC joined Scotland’s pre-eminent historian Tom Devine, as well as leading broadcasters and figures from academia and the legal profession, to call for the scrapping of the controversial football law.
In November, opposition parties at Holyrood united to narrowly defeat the SNP Government and push through a motion which calls for the act to be repealed.
But with 11 charges pending against members of The Green Brigade, the organisation said it would “drastically scale back on the ‘tifos’ [organised displays of support] we had planned for this season” to concentrate finances on providing legal support to Celtic supporters.
The statement said: “These charges include several for the heinous crimes of shouting and swearing, for singing apparently “offensive songs”, which advise police officers where they may wish to put their cameras, for the displaying of an anti-police banner and some for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“As a result of these charges, and in the knowledge that more sadly to follow, we have been left with no choice but to drastically scale back on the tifos planned for this season, as all of our efforts and funds are now required members.”
As part of its fundraising drive, Irish band Glasnevin have covered a downloadable version of the folk song Grace which can be bought online.
It has been reported that the song has broken into the top 20 in the UK chart.
Jeanette Findlay, chairman of The Celtic Trust, said: “The loss of these banners which are often to support our clever and funny add to the atmosphere of the stadium is something that we’ll regret.
“We understand why The Green Brigade should feel the need to take this action defending their members from petty and bogus charges.
“The 2012 legislation is destroying football and its repeal will be in everybody’s interest.”
Police Scotland failed to respond to a request for comment.
‘‘ The loss of these banners which are often clever and funny add to the atmosphere of the stadium is something that we’ll regret