The Incredible Vanishing Protest

[mdingwall]

If you blink, you'd miss it.

The inside back page of today's Glasgow Times has a snap of part of a protest held at Ibrox on Sunday. I have no doubt someone will have already had a "quiet word" in their ear this morning.

The protest featured the names of abusers and alleged enablers connected to the Celtic Boys Club scandal.

Why should it bother Rangers fans so much? Well, we appear to be the only group of people who actually seem to be concerned about it.

Imagine in Boston - if the Red Sox had a multi-genarational, multi-offender, paedophile ring in operation? Imagine that directors of that club then gave business worth over £250,000 a year to one of those convicted offenders? Imagine that one club director and one club directors wife (using her maiden name) would then join the company doing trade with the sports club?

I've no doubt that Boston's fine Globe newspaper would immediately swing into operation - just like they did - as depicted in the film "Spotlight" concerning clerical abuse. Yet, in Scotland today, the victims of this ongoing scandal have few friends in the media to tell their tale - in fact they and their sufferings are treated like kryptonite.

Likewise politicians and the various arms are civil society who would normally swimming into action to help the victims and expose the wrongdoers - all because of fear.

If Celtic were a normal club then their directors and fans would have put their hands up, admitted past wrongs and sought resolution. Instead there is an almost total silence punctuated from time to time of shrieks of whataboutery and claims of bigotry.

There is no club with their record, there is no club with multi-generational offending, there is no other club where the directors chose to engage with convicted paedophiles and reward them with contracts.

That is why Rangers fans have had to step into the breach. Otherwise the victims would be alone.

 

[monkey magic]

We don't have a free press. Its appalling that the victims have to fight alone to receive justice. The Celtc Scandal is a national scandal, and our " Parliament " in Holyrood won't go near it.

 

[Huckleberry]

It should bother every self respecting individual that an institution of Celtic FC has been conducting its self disgracefully for decades, and constantly denying any wrongdoing The club Should be distancing themselves from this organisation unequivocally.

 

[Blues and Royals]

I raised this with a Dunfermline fan who genuinely knew nothing about any of the abuse scandal. He listened quietly to what I had to say, then when I had finished, wanted to go back to the subject of Rangers woes.
The whole country is like this unfortunately. They are not interested, unless it’s us.

 

[GovanFront4]

The banners at half time nailed it.

Undying shame surrounds their names.

 

[buzzardbear244]

When you have the First Minister and Justice secretary blocking/ignoring victims and their relatives on the subject i think that tells you all you need to know,fkn shame on them.

 

[dh1963]

I don't know who persuaded the board that the Old Firm signage was a good idea, but surely to God someone in the boardroom must have realised how pathetic it all looked. Like a jilted bride wanting to humiliate the groom, except all it did was make us look like the smaller club.

As for the abuse names, it's possibly the biggest national scandal ever that there has never been a full scale independent inquiry into the organised abuse that happened under the name of that club, and the media and the politicians in power carry the blame for that disgrace.

 

[BlueHaze]

Hatred for Rangers has always been there but over the last 3 decades it has been ramped up and since 2012 has become a national obsession that trumps everything else.

 

[Mexi]

Penn State was one abuser, and the American media rightly buried them for it

They covered up a 5 decade ring (that we know of), and the Scottish media - and politicians - attack anyone who calls it out

Makes you think

 

[Fuertebear55]

Celtic's victims demand justice.
Large banner at Ibrox for the Braga game. Televised around Europe.

 

[SenoraCuellar]

I missed the players coming out.

Wtf is that archway all about?!

As for the paedo bastards. How they are getting away with this without any real media or political scrutiny is unbelievable

I get that the media and politicians have to be careful in what they say because of ongoing court cases but if this class action is successful they are going to look, at worst, wilfully condoning what happened to protect a football club and at best complacent. There’s going to be a few having to take a hard look at themselves.

 

[The Canny Man]

Celtic's victims demand justice.
Large banner at Ibrox for the Braga game. Televised around Europe.

Any banner should be in the Govan front stand so the TV producer can’t avoid it.

 

[Coisty09]

It is time that the board sanctioned allowing banners that say something like
‘We don’t want to be associated with a club that employed convicted pedophiles for decades.’
If we want a proper PR strategy, and I worked in this business for years, the time is now right to call them out.
The court cases are pending but we could easily be allowing comment through banners in the stadium supported by the club that the mainstream media could not ignore.
People always say you cannot comment as it might affect the outcome of legal proceedings.
I know from experience that is total bollocks.
You can make general comments and especially if you want to make sure you’re not being associated with something that has nothing to do with you.

 

[blue genes]

I missed the players coming out.

Wtf is that archway all about?!

As for the paedo bastards. How they are getting away with this without any real media or political scrutiny is unbelievable

I view the "Old Firm" arch & advertising emphasis as a defensive strike in any potential court case emerging from Sydney. There is simply no other rationale for it.

Some have said it was a dig at Celtc, but am not convinced - if it was, it was a pathetic one.

 

[adidasler]

Penn State was one abuser, and the American media rightly buried them for it

They covered up a 5 decade ring (that we know of), and the Scottish media - and politicians - attack anyone who calls it out

Makes you think

Penn State also took responsibility - massive difference.

 

[bluetonic]

I raised this with a Dunfermline fan who genuinely knew nothing about any of the abuse scandal. He listened quietly to what I had to say, then when I had finished, wanted to go back to the subject of Rangers woes.
The whole country is like this unfortunately. They are not interested, unless it’s us.

Very true

 

[daven37]

It's the attempt to shame those who speak out against child sex abuse that gets me.

In Scotland there is a clear push to have any talk of child sex abuse linked to celtic or the catholic church completely hushed up and the shame turned completely on those who dare to speak out against it.

It is the most vile of behaviour to cover up this most evil of crimes.

It's the next step on from the abusers in positions of power grooming their victims. Their friends in high places attempt to groom the general public into silence.

 

[Valley Bluenose]

No chance imo.

It was after we withdrew from the friendly for one, so I can’t imagine it having much value in court. It’s not like we had been doing this for years.

Mate, I'm not daft - I'm aware it was after we withdrew.

Folk are trying to suggest it was a GIRUY to the Dhims but that, to me, is even more nonsensical. We could have done that at any time in the last 10 years. I'm still of a mind that it was related to the Australian organisers and to us saying they 'failed to meet their obligations' - one of which, I suspect, was that it was to be billed as the Old Firm.

Time will tell I guess.

Anyway, we've strayed off topic.

 

[OnTheWay]

I was at the game. I notice the advertising boards with the 'old firm' bollocks but that's the first I've seen the players walking out to that.

This board are doing their absolute best to piss of their most valuable asset. Embarrassing.

 

[High Society]

It is time that the board sanctioned allowing banners that say something like
‘We don’t want to be associated with a club that employed convicted pedophiles for decades.’
If we want a proper PR strategy, and I worked in this business for years, the time is now right to call them out.
The court cases are pending but we could easily be allowing comment through banners in the stadium supported by the club that the mainstream media could not ignore.
People always say you cannot comment as it might affect the outcome of legal proceedings.
I know from experience that is total bollocks.
You can make general comments and especially if you want to make sure you’re not being associated with something that has nothing to do with you.

Disagree, their filthy behaviour has nothing to do with our club. It’s not for our Board to comment or get involved in such a horrific subject and it would certainly be twisted as us having an agenda rather than caring for the victims.

 

[rangers for life]

I missed the players coming out.

Wtf is that archway all about?!

As for the paedo bastards. How they are getting away with this without any real media or political scrutiny is unbelievable

It's now residing at the back of the Broomloan gates at Ibrox ,passed by today and you can see it.

 

[HandsomeHead]

I’ve said for some time that there are now two major stories at play concerning this subject.

The first is Celtic Football Club harbouring what appears to be an historical paedophile ring within its framework, and the second is the Scottish media’s shameful refusal to acknowledge it.