Today’s photo of the day was taken from the stands at Celtic Park during the match against Hibernian on Monday night. Among the many flags on show was that of the International Brigades, a tribute to the men and women around the globe who enlisted to fight against fascism during the Spanish Civil War.
Of the Fifth International Brigade volunteers (15th Brigade of the Spanish Republic), many came from Scotland. In total, 134 Scots lost their lives in the fight against Franco’s forces – 65 of whom were from Glasgow. Also in the Spanish Republican ranks, were a number of Irishmen. Although, others in Ireland sadly followed the propaganda of the pulpit to join former Fine Gael leader Eoin O’Duffy in fighting for the fascists.
Politics isn’t for everyone at Celtic Park, but anti-fascism and anti-imperialism plays an important role for a notable section of the support. This stems from the Irish political aspect and the socialist ethos of the club. It is why we hear songs such as Viva La Quinta (later amended to Quince) Brigada at matches:
