In both articles this image was featured:
http://i4.dailyrecord.co.uk/
No green shamrock in evidence
At 6.20pm on September 20th Jim Spence also repeats the Shamrock story on BBC Scotland Sportsound. In conversation with James Traynor also of the Daily Record he says
“I think you can tell me more about it than I probably know but it is a banner featuring a silhouetted gunman apparently emblazed with a green shamrock. Is that right?”
Very similar phraseology used by Jim Spence as featured on the original erroneous Record report.
Again though, totally wrong.
So where has the green shamrock come from? And is the source of the Green Shamrock solely the Daily Record?
On Saturday lunchtime again on Off the Ball we have a mention of the mysterious shamrock which has now become a more sinister “Irish shamrock motif” and that there is a distinction between banter and bitterness,
At the time of the Norwich game the banner was picked up by various sites, both Rangers and Celtic.
On KDS here is a request for a picture of the banner
However this was not the banner displayed at the match. Wrong banner.
The actual picture had been on SNSpix but has since been removed from their site. Why would that be? This was the tag.
http://www.snspix.com/image/
Also referred to here.
The banner so offended some sections of the Rangers support most noticeably within the Follow Follow site that letters were sent to various authorities including the First Minister and FARE and helpfully including a picture a of the offensive banner.
Here is the content of the letter written by auldashy21 and posted on Follow Follow
——————————
“Dear First Minister,
I am writing to you as a first time writer to complain about what I witnessed last night at the Celtic v Norwich game at Celtic Park.
During the game the “Green Brigade” unfurled a banner which appeared to show an IRA gun man shooting at ‘Rangers’ apes and zombies.
My first point of complaint is that this banner clearly shows that this supporters club of Celtic, also clearly support and glorify terrorism (not only in the form of this banner, but other banners and through songs which can clearly be heard on television at any televised Celtic game, and on the radio when their games are covered by BBC Sport Sound or other radio station). As the world is currently reflecting on a mass shooting in Denver, Do you really think this banner is appropriate, especially now, at a Scottish football game? Does this mean that these Celtic fans are glorifying the actions of the masked gun man that day?
My second point of complaint is why are things like this never highlighted by yourself, other members of parliament, or the Scottish media? Is it because you are afraid to highlight that a certain portion of your population have an obsession with terrorism and the IRA? Do banners like this not go completely against your new ‘sectarian’ laws? And yet you, and other establishments in Scotland are all too quick to condemn the Rangers fans for singing some songs.
I think there needs to be a fair crack of the whip here, and from where I’m sitting there is nothing fair about the way our country is being run, with respect to football supporters anyway.
I hope you will understand and agree with the points I have made in this e-mail, and that something will be done about this, and other banners unfurled at Celtic games. Or at least for this type of thing to be highlighted on a more regular basis.
For your convenience I have attached a photo of the banner.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,”
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“For your convenience I have attached a photo of the banner.”
Hmmm
Here is a link to the original bloomail from 26th July as recorded at the time on a Celtic site
and this is the photo they attached, also recorded at the time.
…with the mysterious green shamrock and also with a totally different inscription on the gravestone
The image displayed originated on Celtic Messageboards from before the Norwich match but it was not the image used by the Green Brigade and it is not the image which has caused the club to be charged on four counts by the SFA.
The image used by the Green Brigade clearly features no shamrock despite the image being available on messageboards at that time
So who has informed the Daily Record that the complaint featured a gunman wearing a green shamrock and did the complaint to the SFA also feature the same totally erroneous image?
Have the SFA charged Celtic based on a banner created and displayed only on the internet and not actually at Celtic Park?
And almost two months after the Norwich game why is this only coming to light now?
Finally mention has been made on Celtic messageboards of the police being unhappy with the banner at the match as it featured a “provo gunman” The FF bloomail campaign also mentioned contacting the match commander and how disgraceful it was that no arrests had been made.
On Follow Follow
ClockworkOrange
Enough’s enough. We’ll see what the cops have to say.
ClockworkOrange
I have had word back from the police that the banner does not constitute a crime and will not be investigated further…… I’m seeking further clarification on this and may try to speak to the match commander.
In the absence of any confidence in securing a conviction did the Match Commander have any role in the bringing of charges against the club by the SFA.
The response from Celtic to the charges will be of great interest.
