Celtic – Scotland’s modern Millwall?

You can only hope that things will change if enough people point out the bleedin’ obvious: shiny new Glasgow, city of the Commonwealth Games, needs to take a long hard look at itself and try to come into the 21st century.

I refer to Glasgow’s bizarre blindness to racism, bigotry and all manner of criminal activity which would scarcely be tolerated in any other British city outside N Ireland.

Yet, in and around Glasgow it’s scarcely noticed.

But like I say, if enough people call it out things can change.

Nobody around the West Coast seemed to think David Limond’s foul online racist bigotry and intimidation of a woman was odd, or wrong, or unusual. Still less, racist.

In fact it was clearly criminal and eventually Police Scotland were able to act when Channel 4 News gave them evidence they couldn’t refuse. And now one at least of the Ibrox Underclass is awaiting sentence for racially and religiously aggravated online intimidation. Yes – racially.

The victim here is not black, she’s of Irish descent. But racism is racism in fact, in reality, in law – however blind important sections of Glasgow remain to this reality.

So the racial element makes it obviously a landmark, groundbreaking prosecution.

So groundbreaking in fact that it was all but ignored by the Glasgow-dominated Scottish media. You really do have to wonder why? They’ll have another chance this week when Limond is sentenced in Ayr. Will they take it?

So quite rightly Police Scotland are on a roll here. They’ve successfully taken the law to online criminality. It’s a significant step. But there’s more to be done. A lot more. Right now, for instance, the police should be very interested in Celtic’s underclass doing much the same thing as Limond. I know for certain at least one key detective involved in the Limond case already has evidence.

Huddleboard & Celtic’s increasingly toxic image

Take, for example, the site known as the Huddleboard.

This purports to be a fans’ forum where people come and sound off from behind their keyboards in relative anonymity, brave men that they are – and they are mostly men it seems. Fair enough, passion and free speech and all that.

Except that those running this site either don’t seem to know or care that comment is one thing, crime is another.

Hot on the success of prosecuting Limond the excellent detectives of Police Scotland may well now be taking a close interest in Huddleboard and those who run it.

In reality Huddleboard is just another facet of the increasingly toxic public image of Celtic. The Seville days are ancient history. Like a bully with no natural competitors (though Rangers are on their way back), the Celtic of today is rightly gaining a reputation for the most consistently violent fans in the UK who attack stadiums as if we’re living in 1974.

They are Scotland’s modern Millwall: an underclass of extreme politics and mindless violence – the same old toxic brew.

That’s the Celtic Underclass on tour. The same cancer is reflected online. On Huddleboard for instance in recent days.

Open threats

Here so-called Celtic “supporters” openly threaten precisely the same journalist as Limond did. They threaten her with blatant physical and sexual assault for doing her job. It’s disgusting and laughably stupid – and yes guys – deleting any of it now is far far too late.

Even in the unlikely case of it being Rangers ‘fans’ on the stir, it is apparently being tolerated by the people moderating and running the site who bear responsibility in law. The details of the criminals engaged in this vile, inadequate idiocy will be known to those running the site. Their details are logged. And no, you can’t delete them either. Should they wish not to give such information to Police Scotland they will place themselves in an interesting position legally.

I have good reason to suppose the police may well soon require such information and rightly so.

Hiding behind having a server in the US is unlikely to hold up before a determined and professional police force. Hiding and huddling – not exactly heroic. I would advise the Huddleboard moderators to start moderating, publicly apologise for the criminality that has been published by fans and wipe this stuff from their output forever in future – though it may well be too late for that, legally speaking.

Calling time on Glasgow’s culture

Yet again, alongside Limond the obvious criminality on this site is startlingly clear to an outsider yet around Glasgow of course few even appear to notice.

But this is now. New Year. 21st Century. Post-Limond. Police aware. If Glasgow culture’s still stuck in early twentieth century tolerance of this filth, there are many outwith Clydeside who are not, and are calling time on you, here and now.

There are many well-moderated Scottish football sites run by grown-ups who can distinguish between a comment and a crime – The Scottish Football Monitor is one. Huddleboard is not one.

And just as Rangers should have publicly condemned Limond’s criminality what of you Celtic?

What do you say about a website tolerating comments threatening physical and sexual assault against a woman journalist who simply pointed the finger at your violent, hate-filled underclass?

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