Celtic this evening issued a statement concerning the Green Brigade’s banners at the game against Kilmarnock on Saturday which showed their support for the Palestinian struggle. The banners read “Free Palestine” and “Victory to the Resistance” with numerous Palestine flags on show.
It’s fair to say that these banners have received a mixed reception from Celtic supporters with many supporting the Green Brigade message and others stating that it has no place at a football match.
That was the Green Brigade’s stance and not for the first time it is not supported by Celtic who made that clear in today’s statement in response to the banners. Celtic statement, as posted on the official Celtic FC website reads as follows:
“Banners displayed in a section of Celtic Park prior to Saturday’s game do not represent the views of Celtic Football Club and we disassociate ourselves from them. We condemn the display of such messages at Celtic Park.
“Celtic is a football club and not a political organisation. One of our core values from inception is to be open to all regardless of race, colour, politics or creed. That is why the Club has always made clear that political messages and banners are not welcome at Celtic Park, or any match involving Celtic. At a time of loss and suffering for many, it is entirely inappropriate for any group of individuals to use Celtic Park as a vehicle for such messages.
“We call on all supporters, regardless of their personal views, to unite in backing our players and the Club while respecting the rights and beliefs of others; particularly those whose lives are affected by violence and hatred.”
Fair enough if Celtic want to distance themselves from the banners. But the line “political messages and banners are not welcome at Celtic Park” just seems hypocritical when they play Let The People Sing, This Land Is Your Land, Grace & Bella Ciao etc over the PA system. 🤷🏾♂️
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) October 9, 2023
It’s incredible how much the club will profit from displays from the support.
Dining off the story of its founding, the importance of its inception for the poor of the East End of Glasgow.
Politics and football are intrinsically entwined and to deny it is to not understand it. pic.twitter.com/PVpkujTrTF
— The Cynic (@90MinuteCynic) October 9, 2023
The Celtic board and whoever penned this statement are cowards.
You can’t use the “open to all” line when genocide and apartheid is taking place in front of your eyes. You can’t ignore that.
To ignore what’s happening is the complete antithesis of our core values. pic.twitter.com/wM6OLbBsg6
— McMachiavelli (@MLTim88) October 9, 2023
Celtic as a football club absolutely thrive on pushing the story of helping the downtrodden Irish immigrants in Glasgow survive…..but why did they need help?
The club, by its very nature, is a tool of political change.
The songs played pre match by the club are not political?
— The Cynic (@90MinuteCynic) October 9, 2023
I'm understanding of this view but what is political? Is taking the knee political? Support for Ukraine? Non footballing related minute's silences? pic.twitter.com/7fm7yKVJeC
— Timothy Leary (@sharko67) October 9, 2023
Sneaking it on the website as well and no putting it on their social media just about sums them up
— 4 Tims and a Podcast (@PodTims) October 9, 2023
So the “resistance” the people involved – at the game and on here – is the cold blooded slaughter of kids at a music festival and dragging innocent people from their homes ? Why are young kids at a football match aligning themselves with this – it’s either badness or ignorance. More of this will bring shame to our great club.
What an uneducated comment. To stand up against one fascist, mass murdering, brutalising apartheid regime, who have been carrying out systematic torture, ethnic cleansing and genocide, is not the same as aligning yourself with another religious cult, fascist organisation. Israel has created this situation with the murder of over 40,000 children alone in the past 40years, not to mention the ongoing imprisonment of them. It’s time the world stopped this crime and these psychopaths. The Nazi regime also brought out the worst in the forces fighting against them in the name of “freedom”, with many allied atrocities, because that’s what happens when people watch the continued mass torture and murder around them from the day they are born. None more so than the first bombs of the cold war flattening Japans civilian population. The western world is sick in its support of Israel. …and no, at some point politics has to come out in the open by any possible vehicle when this level of oppression is going on. The relatively few business men and the herd majority working class, always react like this, so no surprise to hear the usual cowardly lines of many Celtic supporters and the board. Keep your eyes shut whilst history repeats itself and the lessons of the last century are ignored and whitewashed away by such acts and “opinions” (for want of a better word.
Celtic Football Club and its supporters have their roots in the Catholic religion, which preaches forgiveness, mercy and love of neighbour. Consequently, any Catholic who hates others and applauds vengeance on the innocent, however justified he believes himself to be, is lost to the religion of his birth and the spirit of the founder of Celtic, Brother Walfrid, who radiated the spirit of Christ, Our Lord.
The world today is full of violence and hatred because it has lost that spirit and reverted back to the pre-Christian “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” mentality, driven more by fallen human nature and blind passion than right reason and Christian virtue.
For those who spout a one-sided history of violence that points the finger of blame at the Jews while ignoring the horrors of Communist countries like China and North Korea and the track record of Islamic terrorism in countries all around the world, it’s worth noting that if the latter ever took possession of Israel then the Christian holy places would be targetted for immediate destruction. We saw a glimpse of this with ISIS a few years back. Talk about wilful blindness!
Are you being selective because Catholicism has its right wing extremists too ? No one is condoning HAMAS, just pointing out the result of 80plus years of Zionist repression, brutality and genocide along with a horrendous list of other crimes against humanity, just like we have seen in every setting where their levels of atrocities can no longer be totalled. eg: their assistance for the fascist Azerbaijani brutalities in Nagorno Karabakh However, the response from most westerners about the HAMAS atrocity, is as disproportionate as the Zionist regime throughout their long bloodied history and with none or next to no condemnation of the main perpetrator…Israeli fascists.
Its almost impossible not to feel how Abada feels and how people where he’s from feel about him. I also don’t think Celtic had any choice in making their statement.
Poor wee Liel. He’s suffering for the fascists from his country and their non-stop horrors and crimes against humanity for the past 80 or so years. I’m sure he will survive,….unlike the 800 (Israeli fascist figures) murdered by them today, and the rest who will follow in the coming days. Horrific and inhumane. But stay in the herd and mind yourselves. Youre ok Jack.
Liel abada is a very young man which means his parents,grandparents and lots of other family members living there so when i said about how he must be feeling is my family still alive were my friends at the festival. We love him when he’s a skelper but as soon as the game is over we have nothing for him but hate because he happened to born in a place we disagree should have been formed in the first place? Is that what we are?
The hate came from his own countrymen predominantly because of his association with us ! But also, you seem to have neglected how you feel about all the historical victims of Israel and the 800 murdered yesterday and the undefined numbers as yet today and what will happen over the next step of the genocide ??? Was that not worth going to print for ??? Just one minor victim who plays for Celtic ?
I think the Celtic Board should go much further than a public statement and ban the Green Brigade from the ground forever. I’ve said before that they are not a “Green Brigade”, they’re a “Red Brigade” and they exist to bring political anarchy into sport. It’s not the first time this group of agitators has humliated the club and cost it in fines and it will never stop until the Board do what is right and clear these Marxists out.
Another fascist comment and response to free speech ? No doubt your opinion is the only one we should hear ? Have you heard of a thing that people used to believe existed called a “conscience ” ? Well that’s why there are still a few who feel the need to speak out against fascist psychopaths.
The fact that you use the old terminology of Communists, calling those who oppose the actions of the Green (Red) Brigade “Fascists”, really sums up the IQ.
The Holocaust happened under a Fascist leader (Hitler). He would have been right there in the middle of that Green Brigade mob helping to hoist the banner supporting the Hamas killings of innocent civilians, make no mistake. So, Marxist lackies that they are, the Green Brigade is more Fascist than those who express outrage at their disgraceful public support for terrorism. But, just to be fair, I am no more comfortable with Israel’s response in Gaza which is likewise resulting in the deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians. It’s a horrible business all round, but it belongs in the halls of politics and NOT in the arenas of sport. It especially has no place at Celtic, a club that enjoys the contributions of Jewish and Muslim players alike, and which has no vested interest in Middle Eastern conflicts.
I’ve said before, and I now say again, the Celtic Board must root these political agitators from its fanbase before the excellent reputation of the club is destroyed. They’re not at Celtic for football, they’re present in the crowd to foment anarchy. Get the Green Brigade out now!
What a simplistic character you seem to be. You can even judge my intellect because I use a term you don’t like me using, to liken the atrocities of apartheid states to fascists and sadists. Doesn’t make me Marxist, Communist or any other term that you perceive to be “old terminology”. Maybe you can give lessons on what I can and can’t compare in history ? Oh yes, “History” which is where we could learn from and not blunder into the same mistakes. “Never let this happen again” was the warcry after WW2 and yet here we are and humanity is being rushed straight into it all over the globe.
However, you are the first to allude to the Israeli response, even though it is in a response , better late than never. For your information, I allude to not liking a whole lot about the green brigade, which isn’t for this discussion, but I do appreciate that when people have little forum for opinion, then they will use whatever means they can and tough luck Celtic, you happen to be the chosen vehicle for this group. Some of their protests I agree with and others I don’t. But I respect the right to protest anywhere and not with restrictions defined by the very people being protested about. Yes that means shareholders in immoral companies and states, who support an apartheid regime such as Israel.
Still, the bottom line is it has no place in sport, especially when the sport in question is thousands of miles away in another country and the protestors have no clue about the history of the region whose troubles they’ve taken it upon themselves to address. China and North Korea are just two countries whose regimes are far more brutal than that of Israel, yet the Red Brigade never raises issues about those. Indeed, they all happily buy ‘Made in China’ products every day. There are also the death penalty issues with Saudi Arabia and Iran, both Islamic countries, and the brutal treatment of Christians in Pakistan. The world is full of problems like this and no childish banner is going to resolve them. The banner in question was held aloft for reasons of hatred not justice, as well you know.
If these idiots have a gripe then let them take it to their politicians or join the demonstators outside the Israeli Embassy. Political agitation has no place at Celtic Park and those who take it there are not remotely interested in the Palestinian cause, they’re interested only in anarchy. Personally speaking, I’m far more comfortable with the Israelis overseeing the holy places in that region than the Palestinians. As I said previously, ISIS was an eye opener to the entire world on what could happen if Islamic etremism ever came to power in the Middle East.
Now the Celtic Board must move to extricate that Red Brigade which has infiltrated its supporter base. Public rebuke is insufficient, these anarchists need to be rooted out.
The fact that you presumed my I.Q. gives a clear guide to the way you think and that is why I feel the need to respond again. You presume the “Red Brigade” know and do nothing about any other cause ?? Probably presumed that about me, but I have run out of causes to list and that list gets longer every day. I am going to presume you know all the members of the brigade ? and you want to extricate people, some of whom have supported Celtic longer than I have. Quite the little dictator aren’t we ? I think you should continue to stay safe and look after yourself within the herd ! Have a nice life, but remember this, Karma comes to all of us, some aren’t intelligent enough to recognise it when it arrives. Yes, I witness it every single day of my life, but I still empathise as unlike your good self, I won’t be appointing myself as a judge and jury.
https://mailchi.mp/breakingthesilence/2021-end-of-year?e=%5BUNIQID%5D Here’s eyewitness accounts to educate readers properly.
Not interested in your sophistry, this and other global conflicts have no place in sport. End of!
Not interested in herd mentality !