CELTIC TITLE PARTY: A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE FROM POLICE SCOTLAND?
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- May 23
- 2 min read
On one hand, it’s nice to hear someone at Police Scotland speak some sense.
On the other hand, it’s frustrating that Chief Constable Jo Farrell is simply parroting what most Celtic fans have been trying to tell everyone for months.
Celtic Title Party is Almost an Annual Event, Plans Should Be Made
According to a report published on the BBC website this morning, Chief Constable Farrell said: “The ideal scenario would be an agreed and organized event that ensures safety and security minimizes wider disruption and which could also create economic opportunities."
Isn’t this exactly what various Celtic fan groups and the club themselves have tried to organize for the past several months, only be rebuffed and shunned at every turn by Glasgow City Council, who it seems were too busy bending over for the Orange Order?
The thing is, as the chief constable rightly points out, this isn’t just about Celtic and our supporters. Done properly, this event, which drew an estimated 25,000 people last weekend could become a major money-spinner for the city.
Certainly, it makes a lot more economic sense than the vast sums of money, and thousands of hours of police work wasted every year marshalling racist hate parades like Orange Walks.
It wasn’t all good news from the chief constable though. Her closing statement had the same sinister hallmarks that have created the current climate of distrust and anger between Celtic fans and police.
She added: “We need to bring some control and some safety controls to these celebrations”.
Safety? Sure, that’s a given.
But control? We all remember the widespread abuse of the stop and search powers given to police before the last Glasgow Derby at Celtic Park, yet conspicuously absent at Ibrox earlier this month.
As such, I wouldn’t support any initiative which gives Police Scotland anything more than the bare minimum level of control over any Celtic fan event.
An organized and contained event is a good idea. I think everyone bar Glasgow City Council now realizes this. However, the police need to have a hands-off approach. An excessive presence from Police Scotland at any future Celtic Title Party is more likely to encourage trouble than to negate it.
20 arrests are still 20 too many, and we as Celtic fans need to do our bit in policing our own. However, only 20 arrests at an event attended by an estimated 25,000?
Those are figures most large-scale event organizers would be delighted with.
Discussions should begin now.
Whether it’s Celtic or, by some horrific freak accident, Rangers who win the title next season, plans need to be set in motion now, to ensure fans can celebrate that triumph properly and peacefully.
