By Mark Dingwall
I write this on the Tuesday before the Bilbao away game – quite aware that events may overtake debut I think it’s worth putting down my thoughts just now.
Whilst the Herri Norte gang will no doubt be doing their best to provoke visiting Bears we should not get carried away – as a few do – and get hysterical to the point where all Athletic fans are branded dyed-in-the wool IRA supporters.
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Events in Glasgow last week were predictable but thankfully didn’t go as some wanted. Yes, there were a few Irish tricolours and Celtic shirts on display but they were few in number and completely swamped by the number of half and half scarves.
There is an element of the Celtic support which always tries to use the presence of visitors as an excuse to stir up trouble – trouble you will note which they lack the courage or the muscle to initiate themselves. The sad spectacle of a handful of them turning up in George Square singing their songs of hate is not the first time we have seen them in action. Thankfully few took the bait outside a handful of ETA supporting fanatics.
This particular post raised guffaws of hilarity as a miscreant simply invented scenes amongst the visiting fans. He claims half and half scarves were ripped off of shoulders. It never happened.
Let’s look at Timmy’s changing views on the Basque country. Some of us can recall the 80s when there were far more Basque flags in their support than Palestinian ones. If the Celtic support was being consistent then their views on Basque independence should surely be now what they were in the 80s? There are still a fair number of political groups supporting the terrorist group ETA. But the problem they have is that ETA nowadays kill almost no-one – that’s the problem for the Green Brigade and their ilk – they love blood and violence, they revel in it.
The Basque populace is largely settled on the current political settlement and ETA is largely crushed. surely in their hour of need support for them should be massive amongst the Celtic support? Yet, nowadays the Basque flags are as rare as hens teeth. Strange that.
https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/news-and-opinion/2024-basque-election-and-regions-long-term-political-landscape
The level of visible support for the Palestinian cause amongst Celtic fans has risen as violence in Ireland has fallen – they may fixate over IRA violence but there have been ceasefires that have more of less held since 1994. So no daily fix of Protestants being shot in the back as they went about their business to give them a visceral sectarian thrill. IRA and PLO murals were once the only example of the mania which has now overtaken the Celtic support. As IRA violence declined Palestinian filled a void.
And support for ETA has sunk to just above zero amongst their crowd despite the visit of Athletic Club which has given a shock of electricity to this particular political corpse.
What gets the Timmy juices boiling is of course the old cocktail of violence and sectarianism. Note this effort presented on a bulletin board which desecrates Picasso’s painting of the coming of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War with a clear allusion to the Ibrox disaster. This is what passes for humour amongst a section for their support. There was no condemnation of it. Let’s be honest, there are a few creatures who attach themselves to Rangers who might be capable of similar – the difference is their posts would be condemned and chopped and they would find themselves banned.
I hope those over in Bilbao enjoy themselves and act as ambassadors for Rangers and take no bait. The pictures below show what football should all be about – friendship and fun.
https://x.com/Capismo_/status/1910605042043801916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1910605042043801916%7Ctwgr%5Eeab6317ff6f3f6d1fb12cf7ec2366f854b5976f7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.huddleboard.net%2Fnode%2F35163439