Celtic have opened up a can of worms with the statement condemning the Green Brigade for their “Victory to the Resistance” banner at Celtic Park after the attacks from Gaza left hundreds dead in Israel, hundreds more have since died on both sides of the wall.
For mine the banner was not in the best of taste but surely shouldn’t need for the club to answer with a statement, our club and its supporters were forged from famine and oppression and we are quite possibly the most politically rooted, motivated and vocal club on earth.
If the board likes that or not is irrelevant, we have grown up supporting our club and in the pub the causes which matter to the support are very seldom argued over between us.
Sky journalist and Celtic fan Anthony Joseph put it extremely well when he called out the hypocrisy in the club being happy to play political songs of famine and oppression, the streets of free Derry, The love I hold for these dear men (IRA), or a song celebrating the triumph over fascism.
The facts are that all of these songs are extremely political as is most of not just the Green Brigade’s but also Celtic Park’s song sheet.
There is a lot of anger online and most of it from Celtic fans who are disgusted at the clubs stance, here is a small sample.
I see this escalating in the coming weeks at Celtic, especially if this turns out into a full scale bloodbath in the holy land, you will never quieten a support that revels in its own noise, nor make Celtic fans compliant or accepting of the oppression of others.
Celtic should read the room on this one, whilst they are having meetings to nurse Abada’s feelings, they should be far more worried about those in the stands that have more empathy for Palestinians than they will ever have for the board.
Friction isn’t what we need internally, whilst the board wishes for the Green Brigade to stay out of politics, the club remains happy to use political symbols and language for its promotion, the facts are that this is hypocrisy.
A far greater sin than believing in a cause without ever wavering, much as the Green Brigade have done here.
