Lubo, I know you mean well, but your comment here has weighed on my mind for several days and I need to respond. And also understand that this is coming from a Celtic supporter, but one who is not Catholic, Irish, Scottish, or who fits the mold of a more ‘traditional’ Celtic supporter.
So firstly, the article this morning on Etims really resonated with me.
http://etims.net/?p=13935
There was a time in my life - before I was a strong Celtic supporter - that I had a desire to see a match at Ibrox to experience the atmosphere. The ‘Old Firm’ rilvalry is world famous for the passion, and it’s well beyond anything we have in America. The closest I can even think of would be a political rally - such as those supporting Trump in 2016 or Obama in 2008 - but I don’t think that’s a good comparison for a lot of reasons. Regardless, I no longer have any desire to go to Ibrox, even to watch Celtic win by a 5-0 scoreline. It is a place where hatred, bigotry, racism, and sectarianism are not only tolerated but actively celebrated. It is vile and reprehensible, and it’s something and someplace I want nothing to do with. And crucially, unlike the fringe element that can be found at a lot of clubs and even in society at large, this element at Ibrox is a feature rather than a bug. Rangers as an institution is a Masonic cult that celebrates William of Orange’s victory over the Catholics, and one of the defining characteristics of the Orange Order is that they view themselves as superior to those who don’t subscribe to their world view, whether that is defined by religion (non-Protestant), nationality (non-British), or race (non-white).
So the part that I want to disagree with you about is the behavior of our own fans and whether or not it is acceptable.
And I’m going to lay down a marker here - if any behavior is bad enough to be found objectionable by one’s spouse, child, employer, or priest (or other religious leader for those like me who aren’t Catholic), then one should not engage in that sort of behavior anywhere or at any time.
So calling Kris Boyd a fat cunt is not okay. And calling him a bastard or an orange bastard isn’t okay either. You wouldn’t go into your child’s school or your church and hurl these insults, so why is it okay at a football ground (or on the Internet!)? And the fact that someone else is tossing these insults around doesnt excuse one’s own reprehensible behavior. We are, or should strive to be, better than this!
So with that out of the way... calling someone in the U.K. an “orange [fill in the blank]” is most definitely a sectarian insult and likely racist as well. Why? Because ‘Orange’ is not just a color but a very deliberate refereance to the Orange Order, and being a white Protestant is the most significant trait that defines membership of that organization. Or put another way, the Orange Order is by definition a sectarian organization, and by insulting the organization or one of its members, one is by definition hurling a sectarian insult. You can argue that the Order should be held up for scorn and ridicule (and you’d be right), but it’s a fallacy to claim that such insults aren’t sectarian in their nature.
Finally, I want to touch on the celebration of our clubs and supporters Irish roots. First off, that history is part of Celtic’s history and it is something that should be celebrated. I want to make that very clear before I go further. But the IRA chants and
some (I emphase some here) of the rebel songs are found to be offensive to a lot of people both in the U.K. and elsewhere. The IRA is viewed in most parts of the world, including the U.K. and the USA, as a terrorist organization. The fact that it was, and still is in the 6 counties, a rebel army attempting to overthrow an oppressive foreign occupier is lost on most people who aren’t Irish or understand Irish history. (Indeed, George Washington would have gone down in history as a terrorist and a traitor had he not led the American colonies to victory in 1883). But the underlying fact remains that pro-IRA messages are viewed as pro-terrorist to those not from an Irish background or understand a fair amount of Irish history. People, and not just Rangers supporters, find these songs and messages hurtful and offensive.
If our club is ever going to be successful in building alliances and finding common ground with other clubs on a more than one-off basis, we would be well advised to cut the crap about the IRA because it makes us look like terrorists or, at best, terrorist sympathizers to those who don’t share that world view, be they Protestant, secular, Scottish, English, or even many non-Irish Catholics. We’re never going to get other clubs or other fans on our side as long as we tolerate, much less celebrate, such behavior. Pro-Ireland, sure. Pro-Catholic, sure. But there are better ways to celebrate Irish heritage than singing about perceived terrorists or the battles they’ve won against the British army, particularly when doing so in Britain!
