GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL DEMAND RESPECT, YET SHOW NONE TO CELTIC SUPPORT
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- May 15
- 3 min read

It’s an oft-quoted saying that “respect is a two-way street”. Clearly Glasgow City Council must have “misplaced” the memo on that one.
GCC Ask Celtic Support not to Attend, Make No Such Demand of Orange Order
Glasgow City Council released an almost incredulously tone-deaf statement this afternoon. It read as follows:
“We want supporters of every team in Glasgow to be able to celebrate their successes but ask fans – including those visiting the city – to please avoid disruptive mass gatherings at Merchant City/Trongate and other public places.”
Why is it Celtic fans who are being asked this, and why now?
Where was the similar statement in 2021, at a time when not only were mass gatherings discouraged, they were still, technically illegal?
I don’t recall any statement asking Rangers fans not to gather in George Square back then. And let’s not even get started on the drunkenness, violence, statue molestation and public masturbation that ensued back then.
Speaking of Rangers fans and self-abuse enthusiasts, there has been no word whatsoever from the council on changing the planned Orange Order march, still scheduled for Saturday morning in any way. There is no need for the march to happen on that day or to follow that specific route.
If these primitive, backward individuals must have their hate parade then that’s one thing, but why aren’t the council doing anything to discourage the “hangers-on”.
You, know, the ones that gather around the march, get all fired by the songs of hate and bigotry and then go and take it out on some innocent member of the public.
Personally, I think those people are a much greater threat to public safety than even the most exuberant Celtic fans.
The Council statement continued: "These events and others like them have consistently led to disorder – causing significant disruption for the local community and businesses”
Again, how much disorder, and significant disruption do the hundreds of Orange Walks across Scotland every year cause? Any ideas?
The council have obviously misplaced the figures on that one as well.
Though I’ll wager it’s significantly more than even the totally exaggerated and unverified figure of 100,000 pounds the council tried to pin on the Celtic support for last year’s title party.
Much like our “friends” over at Ibrox, The Council really don’t seem to know when it’s a good time to shut up. The statement went on:
“Damage to buildings and infrastructure robs the public purse of hundreds of thousands of pounds that would otherwise be spent on the essential services we all rely on.”
Well, I suppose if anyone would know how to “rob the public purse”, it’s Glasgow City Council. Afterall their former leader Frank McAveety was charged with fraud just a few weeks ago.
And again, how much damage is caused, how much money is “robbed from the public purse” every year via the massive misallocation of resources to cover Orange Order marches?
Go to the Trongate on Saturday and celebrate if you wish. Or don’t, it’s your choice. As the Orange Order like to remind us every time we ask why they insist on marching through predominantly catholic areas, where their particular brand of hate is not welcome, “everybody has the right to public assembly”
I wish there was an official event planned by Celtic, either at the stadium or in a closed off area like Glasgow Green. But there isn’t, and that’s on Glasgow City Council. They’ve known for more than 6 months that this day was coming.
Yet they dragged their heels, they adopted an obstructionist stance at every opportunity, whilst the hate parades continue to go on unopposed.
The Celtic support should not be listening to any lectures from an institution as financially, morally and ethically bankrupt as Glasgow City Council.
I hope everything goes smoothly on Saturday. But if it doesn’t, then I don’t want to hear Glasgow City Council or anyone else say we didn’t try to warn you.