Hun - The Sectarian Myth.

A new campaign has been brought to my attention via twitter to make the use of the word "Hun" illegal. This campaign is based wholly on the myth that the use of this term is "sectarian" in their words "term of religious hatred, a derogatory and sectarian term for a protestant or those perceived to be protestant by supporters of other football teams".

This is in its basic form a lie and they know it. The campaign is a desperate grasp at a few remaining straws by an organisation trying desperately and failing to distance itself from a so called "small minority" of the Ibrox fan base who engage genuine sectarian behaviour, by throwing mud in the direction of other fans and hoping enough sticks that they can use to deflect from their in house problems by pointing in any direction and exclaiming 'look, they dae it tae' in the most petty and childish way.

The term Hun being used as a term for Rangers(1872 & 2012) fans and players has nothing to do with religion.

This is not however the first time this tactic has been deployed. In 2008 after Celtic played Aalborg a letter of complaint was sent to UEFA from a concerned person at the use of the chant 'NO HUNS IN EUROPE!' by Celtic fans. However UEFA responded: "With all respect to your personal feelings and impression, the terms you object to do not appear to be connected with racial abuse or discrimination." 

There are differing versions of the origin of the term Hun being used to describe this groups of people. The one which holds the most weight is that they were described by an English journalist in the early 1960's as "coming across the border like marauding huns." due to the destruction they had caused in the local area. This nor any other version I have seen of the term could be construed as religious in my opinion.

The best way to illustrate that religion is not a factor in who is and is not a Hun is to look at some of the most high profile players, players anyone who uses the term would tell youis one, for example Maurice Johnston: the first Roman Catholic to sign for Rangers is most definitely a hun. Novo, Mccann, Amoruso, Albertz, Andrews and more recently Mohsni and Jon Daly are all "Non Protestants" for want of a better term who are all without a shadow of a doubt Huns.

This campaign is a nonsense at base level and should be viewed as such but this being Scotland it will be used by lazy sports journalists to fill column inches and to create punchy attention grabbing headlines.

We expect nothing less, all we can do is stand our ground with the truth on our side.

Time for forgiveness.

Time for forgiveness.

Leigh Griffiths: Celtic Footballer, Scotland International, Hibs fan, Edinburgh Boy. Racist? Not for me. As I have said since these allegations surfaced, I don't think calling someone a refugee is a racial slur, derogatory: certainly, offensive: most likely but in my understanding of the term, not racist.

That however is neither here nor there in the point I aim to make via this blog. My point being even if what he said/ sung had been a racist slur, does that make him a racist? Again not in my eyes. Everyone has at points in their lives said things which are inappropriate, offensive and things which they wouldn't say under normal circumstances. This is not to say what they said has no meaning but it isn't necessarily who they are and there in lies my point.

I'm sure a lot of the people taking the moral high ground on this issue would not be so quick were they being challenged on statements they had made/ chants they had sung at the age of 23. Yes he is in the public eye and yes, perhaps he should know better but as we all know  well in the heat of a derby game atmosphere, the build up, the game, the aftermath it is all too easy to become swept up in it.

In my opinion that is what happened to Leigh Griffiths. No matter what team strip he pulls on for a game, he is and always will be a Hibs fan and I have the utmost respect for that. He in this instance for me was stupid, naive and gullible. He was swept up in atmosphere among a group of his own fans and acted foolishly (as we all have).

My main point in this blog is that weeks on from the incident, the charge, the investigations at a home game versus Inverness the Green Brigade unveil a banner emblazoned "A Man Must Be A Celt On & Off The Field, Otherwise He Is Of No Value To This Club". While I understand the frustration of these fans and others, and agree yes a Celtic player should act with more class off the field than Leigh has so far my problem is how is the Bhoy supposed to move on from this incident and learn from his mistake if it is going to be thrown in his face at every turn? How can he be expected to turn the corner if he is being blocked?

So I guess my main point is stated in the title it is time to give forgiveness a try, for if not forgiveness then what?

On the field I love the way Griffiths plays I think he has the ability to score goals for Celtic for years to come, the hunger and passion with which he chases every ball and his control is great and at only 23 I feel he will only get better and I think that is what we need to wait for off the field as well, just that little bit of maturity to come. He is going to be The Scottish medias favourite target for the foreseeable. He is for them the new Boruc or Lennon before him but it will be how he deals with it that is the making of the player. The test of the man.. and the bhoy.

Give him time and let him become the Celt he is on the field off the field. Back our player.

Let The People Sing?

"Let the people sing their stories and their songs
And the music of their native land "

These lyrics ring around Celtic Park just before kick off at every home game ....and so they should although, now the sentiments seem to have been lost. Every time I hear the song start up at paradise, I sing along of course but it sets me thinking.

"For those who are oppressed, in song you can protest...". Well apparently not if the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 is anything to go by.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand that some songs are unacceptable and that they cannot be tolerated, having said that the wide scope and in some parts hypocritical nature of this bill is beyond belief. The fact Roll Of Honour is one of the song banned under this Act yet Flower Of Scotland which includes the lyrics "But we can still rise now, And be the nation again, That stood against him" is nothing short of laughable.

Again I run the risk of being misunderstood, I have nothing against the National anthem I am Scottish, and proudly so yet I am also proud of my Irish heritage and if the lyrics of each song are examined impartially think it is plain to see which come across as more inflammatory or provocative of violence. This is my point about the hypocritical nature of the Scottish Governments act.

Celtic Football Club should be looking at helping out the fans in this situation, have CLEAR lists put forward about which songs are acceptable and unacceptable and challenge the ruling when we don't agree, work with the fans to come to an agreement rather than allowing people to be banned from football of imprisoned for singing certain songs, otherwise Celtic show the same hypocrisy as the Government by playing Let The People Sing at matches.

This is not a blog in unadulterated support of The Green Brigade, I am talking above about Celtic fans as a whole. I do not think the Green Brigade have been treated completely fairly but that is for another time.

We need our fans to be able to sing and express themselves at football and for some people to know be fearing going to the football in case a song they sing lands them with a criminal record is unacceptable.

Let The People Sing.