Today is November 11, the day traditionally designated to remember the dead in the two awful World Wars of the 20th century. In recent years, this has been a bone of contention for many Celtic supporters who don’t feel that they should be part of this. Observation of Remembrance Day and the wearing of poppies etc. is of course a very personal matter. What is unacceptable is the deliberate upsetting of others who wish to observe the remembrance.
The major mistake is the assumption that the observation of Remembrance Day in any way implies some love or respect for the British Royal Family and the British Empire. Not so!
If anything, it implies quite the opposite. It shows the sheer folly of imperialism and wars. In fact it was more than folly. It was sheer criminality. On Remembrance Day under all “the guns falling silent” and “heroic sacrifice” sort of cant that the media peddles, we are thinking, are we not, of the millions of men cut down in their prime, the consequent widows and orphans, and the sheer wickedness of wars, soldiers and armies?
And the finger of blame can be pointed at no-one other than the corrupt, effete, luxurious Royal Families, none of whom were worth supporting in the first place, and their allies of international capitalism who made their profits, while so many died to “make the world a safer place for Henry Ford and Pierpont Morgan”.
Given the club’s political history&Irish connection,it’s no surprise that British forces who have occupied lands,oppressed people&murdered civilians aren’t foremost in some of our thoughts.But I think we can all see the World Wars were different ⬇️https://t.co/bmAMGXtwkN
— Celtic In The Second World War (@celticww2) November 11, 2021
There is no reason why Celtic supporters cannot associate themselves with this remembrance – call it protest if you will. Celtic supporters took part in the war as well – not necessarily willingly – but some marched across Africa with the thoughts of the Empire Exhibition to sustain them, others wrote from far away Mesopotamia to tell their families that they were looking forward to see Patsy Gallacher again, and of course we have the many Celtic players who fought, the egregious example being Peter Johnstone who was part of the glorious half back line of Young, Johnstone and McMaster of 1914, but died three years later in 1917 at Arras. We must commemorate him, must we not?
And then we have men like James Connolly and Padraig Pearse, and those who died on Bloody Sunday. Are they not also war casualties? Should we not remember them? The war dead are not all on one side. And I think that one minute’s silence is not too much to ask to commemorate all those who have died unnecessarily simply because their leaders and their rulers decided to play war games with one another!
Please, boys and girls, it you cannot bring yourselves to remember those who died in wars, respect the feelings of those who do.
David Potter
A number of Celtic players and supporters served in WWI & WWII.Some died,two won the Victoria Cross Award and one was awarded the Military Cross.This episode looks at those stories and explores the difference in attitude at the club between both conflictshttps://t.co/AmuoSvMKWB
— Liam Kelly (@cfcliamk96) November 11, 2021
The way I look at it is that it is also a minutes silence for Celtic players who died in that terrible conflict.
The fans who booed would be aghast if any one broke a minutes silence for a player who lost his life in any other way.
As usual, a well balanced and well written article. You don’t have to wear a poppy to respect the dead , but respect the people that feel that they do. HH.
I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed.
Observing Rememberance Day commemorations are entirely voluntary, and a matter of individual conscience. I wore my poppy to the Livingston home match and that was my choice.
The disrespect shown to, Dundee FC (hosts), Celtic FC (Visiting team), both of whom had agreed to undertake a minute’s silence beforehand, and the match attendees who did wish to join in a minute’s silence was embarassing and shameful. It did not reflect the values of Celtic Football Club I support.
Celtic fans were outraged when Hearts supporters acted similarly during a minutes silence at Hampden called for the demise of his Holiness the Pope. If that was an insult to the memory of a great man, this was an insult to the memory of millions.
Agreed.
As WB Yeats said about some Abbey theatre play goers” ye have disgraced yourselves again”.
Better to be thought fools than to open your mouths and prove it.
Hail Hail
Well said David.
Well said, I just wish more people had your sense.