Celtic fan groups are coming together this weekend ahead of the club’s Scottish Premiership match against Hearts, as tensions with Police Scotland over recent clashes with supporters persist…
Fan Protest planned for this Saturday
North Curve Celtic has announced on X that a “Fan Protest” is scheduled for 29 March at 1:15pm outside London Road Police Station, ahead of Brendan Rodgers’ side’s first match back after the international break.
The graphic posted by NCC features logos from various groups, including Bhoys Celtic, The Celtic Trust, Fans Against Criminalisation, and the Green Brigade, highlighting a shared stance among the organisations.
This follows incidents before and during Celtic’s 3-2 loss to theRangers in the Glasgow Derby last Sunday, where both home and away fans were denied entry to the stadium.
‘Premeditated attack on football supporters by Police Scotland’
The Green Brigade shared their account of the events in a statement last weekend. It said: “Yesterday, there was a premeditated attack on football supporters by Police Scotland. We believe their actions were unlawful and we are currently taking legal advice. The actions of the police should serve as a stark warning to all football supporters in Scotland and anyone who values civil liberties.”
Exactly 12 years after the infamous ‘Gallowgate Kettle’
“Scottish football has a committed, passionate, creative and overwhelmingly positive supporters culture. Instead of embracing this, it is routinely targeted, often leading to mainly young males being unnecessarily and harshly criminalised. Strangely, yesterday’s incident was exactly 12 years since the infamous ‘Gallowgate Kettle’, which sparked mass demonstrations and ignited the successful Fans Against Criminalisation campaign.”
“In light of recent events, we are calling for a formal review of fan engagement in Scottish football with a view to implementing a formal framework for fan engagement at both a central and a club level. It is only through proper two-way engagement with supporters that supporter concerns can be efficiently managed. We will begin consulting and coordinating with all interested supporters in Scotland on how to achieve this.”
‘We must campaign for political and legal accountability’
The ultras group Bhoys Celtic stood in solidarity with their fellow Hoops supporters, urging unity on the matter. Their statement read: “All football fans in Scotland must unite to ensure we are ready for a campaign similar to the one that repealed the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act. All active supporter groups must document heavy-handed policing and those behind it, and we must campaign for political and legal accountability.”
“In a country with the highest per capita attendance of football fans in Europe, alienation of the next generation of working-class football fans is not something to be taken lightly.”
Fan groups from both theRangers and Hibernian have issued similar statements over the past week following the well-documented Glasgow Derby incident.
JOIN THE FAN PROTEST
FANS AGAINST CRIMINALISATION
Saturday 29th March 1.15PM
London Road Police Station pic.twitter.com/vNn1MQtRpE
— North Curve Celtic (@NCCeltic) March 24, 2025
Conor Spence
