Meeting of the Parliament 02 November 2016
Football is indeed Scotland’s beautiful game. It is part of our culture. Supporters are passionate in their backing of their team, but there is a darker side to Scottish football—a part of the game that has been prevalent for decades and which many seem to have accepted as the status quo. Abuse, threats and violence are often excused as just banter or as letting off steam and appear to have been accepted as part and parcel of attending football matches in Scotland. However, there is absolutely no place in football for those who let their passion become violent or their pride become hateful. That is how we used to excuse racism and sexism, but it causes offence and harm and it undermines people’s dignity and respect.
As members will be aware, the immediate backdrop to the legislation concerned events in 2011, including when Celtic and Rangers played in a Scottish cup semi-final replay. Also around that time, prominent public figures, including the former Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, received bullets and viable explosive devices through the post because of their football allegiance.
Of course the Scottish Government recognises that the majority of football fans are well behaved and simply want to support their team. However, there is a stubborn minority who still believe that it is acceptable to be abusive, offensive and violent at football matches.
The 2012 act was introduced to rid Scottish football of that abusive behaviour and to differentiate between supporting a team and descending into threatening and abusive targeting of the opposition. Nobody is suggesting that there cannot be banter between rival fans, but when that spills over into racist, homophobic, sexist or sectarian behaviour, it is unacceptable. Indeed, evidence tells us that the majority of fans and people in Scotland’s communities find such behaviour unacceptable. I refer the chamber to the independent and comprehensive YouGov poll that found that 80 per cent of respondents, and 76 per cent of football fans, supported the act.
Too often, we have read about or witnessed behaviour at football matches that would not be acceptable anywhere else in society. Some have argued that the act unfairly targets football supporters and have asked why it does not apply to, for example, rugby or other sports. The simple answer is that there is not the same problem at those events. Ten days ago, an 11-year-old boy had to be taken to hospital after being struck on the head by a glass bottle; he required seven stitches. That happened in and around a football match, not another sport. It is important that members reflect on that.
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) rose—
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) rose—