Rangers and Celtic: The Scottish version of Iraq.

Sectarianism refers (usually pejoratively) to a rigid adherence to a particular sect or party or religious denomination. It often implies discrimination, denunciation, or violence against those outside the sect. The term is most often used to refer to religious sectarianism, involving conflict between members of different religions or denominations of the same religion. It is also frequently used to refer to political sectarianism, generally on the part of a tight-knit political faction or party.

Sectarianism may, in the abstract, be characterized by dogmatism and inflexibility; sentimental or axiomatic adherence to an idea, belief or tradition; and idealism that provides a sense of continuity, orientation, and certainty. As a pejorative term, accusations of sectarianism may sometimes be used to demonize an opposing group.





Rangers Football Club and Celtic Football club in Scotland has long been the center of sectarian violence in the West of Scotland. It is one of the factors of an uneducated subclass of 'humans' dubbed 'N.E.D.s' (which - ironically- stands for Non Educated Deliquents. The person who made that up was obviously "non-educated" themselves), a vile disease that is crippling Scotland and is making my country more primative and tribal than the ancients themselves. And the worst thing? The disease is spreading further than Glasgow itself and into the hearts of more of Scotland and the world. There are legacies of pubs and clubs dedicated to the two teams and the following they give in countries all over the world; Spain, America, Austrailia, Ireland...

Rangers Football Club has traditionally been the team for the Protestants of Glasgow and Celtic for the Irish Catholics of Glasgow. The two teams dominate all the Scottish cup games and everytime the two teams go head-to-head, there is always an overspill of violence and abuse. They sing sectarian songs that aim sectarian comments at each other's team and it has been known for racist comments to be hurled in when black and Asian players started playing for the teams.

How did it come to this?

It all started with the Jacobites - believe it or not. Back then, Catholicism in Scotland had reached a point of outlaw status and the Catholic supporters of Prince Charles (or Bonnie Prince Charlie) strated to gather in an army in Scotland and Ireland. There was a battle in the Boyne and at - finally - Culloden. Culloden has sometimes been misrepresented as Scots vs English, but it was Catholics vs Protestants. It is an ironic fact that the Pope sent William of Orange (The To Be Protestant King of Britain) to calm down the Catholic extremists in Scotland. And, the stigma and idealogy has stuck around like a guest well long overdue their stay.

Blue, white, orange and red are the traditional colours of Protestants and so happen to be the same colours used in the strips of Rangers Football team. Green, white and gold - the colours of Catholic Ireland - the strip colours of Celtic. Anyone associated with any particular colour are identified as either an enemy or a comrade. In a bitter twist of fate, a man wearing a white tracksuit with blue piping was stabbed, beaten up and left for dead by some Celtic supporting 'neds'. He was wearing a Celtic tshirt underneath it. So many people have been killed by sectarian behavior and one death lead to the group Nil By Mouth being set up after a friend who supported Celtic was killed by a Rangers fan after a match one night. He was 16. Sixteen. You're probably that age. Killed, for supporting the wrong team.

That is disgusting.

This is a list of sectarian words used at these matches. In Scotland, these are treated like curse words.

Against Catholics

Tims (Origin Unknown)
Fenian (Irish Revolutionists back ages ago)
Micks (Shortened version of Michael. Usually associtated with Saint Michael - a well used Saint in Scotland)

Against Protestants

Proddy (Shortened version of Protestant)
Hun (After the ancient race of Huns)
Orange (After William of Orange)

I believe that this behavior needs to change, for the little baba's growing up, for the dignity of Scotland and for ourselves. For our future and present, we have to grow up and let go of the past. I did it, so can you. It's never too late to change yourself and your prejudices. I used to shout the insults, be horrified at certain colours and words until I grew up and saw that this was infantile and wrong. My grandmother used to say that it's been happening for centuries and would never change.

Oh?

We lived by the land for centuries in clans, without electricity or communications. For centuries we thought women were only good for cleaning and cooking. That's changing, slowly but surely, and I believe if we actually bother our backside and change ourselves as individuals then the change will grow, like a cure for the disease, slowly healing every contaminated cell.

Nil By Mouth