Don't confuse racist and sectarian action
Saturday 17 November 2012
Printable
EmailIN HIS one-eyed rush to portray Rangers fans as the BNP's footballing wing, John Wight (M Star November 3) ignores key points made about journalist Alex Thomson's tattered credibility.
Indeed he repeats Thomson's death-threat claim, investigated by Strathclyde Police and found to be "laughable."
More seriously, John conflates anti-Catholicism and anti-Irish racism for which he then lays the blame, exclusively, at the door of Rangers FC.
Leaving aside the Irish players and fans Rangers have, John does exactly what he accuses others of - "walks around with eyes shut" having "internalised this bigotry as normal."
Or perhaps he thinks Northern Irish Protestants aren't really Irish?
Describing offensive chants by Rangers fans against the Pope or the IRA as "racist" is a deliberate misuse of the word.
It is also intellectually porous to ignore equivalent sectarian behaviour from sections of the Celtic support. This mindset is known in Belfast as "whataboutery" and is both tiresome and futile.
Perhaps John could try to grasp the differences between sectarianism and racism and consider dropping a one-directional blame game which sees only one club and only one set of fans as responsible for a culture of behaviour that all decent-minded people condemn.
Stephen Smith
Redditch
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