New Scottish anti-sectarian laws: Holyrood gets shirty over bigot bill

FOOTBALL fans were banned from the Scottish Parliament public gallery for wearing campaign T-shirts, as the SNP forced through controversial new laws to tackle offensive behaviour and bigotry at matches.

Security officers stopped the supporters sitting in the gallery during a debate on the legislation yesterday, after the group wore shirts carrying the slogans “Football fans – not criminals” and “Shame on you SNP”.

A parliament spokeswoman said the fans would have been “welcome in the public gallery if their T-shirts were removed”.

Labour MSP Hugh Henry described the move as “heavy handed” and said he would write to Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick demanding an explanation for the decision – he pointed out protesters had previously been allowed to wear shirts carrying slogans against school closures.

The drama took place, as the SNP used its overall majority to introduce the final stage of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill, which creates new offences relating to behaviour deemed to incite religious, racial or other forms of hatred specifically linked to football matches.

Community safety minister Roseanna Cunningham, said the new law backed by a margin of 64 to 57 votes, would tackle the “hate and division” she claimed existed in Scottish football. She told MSPs: “These are clear and specific improvements on the existing law. Much of what we see at football celebrates nothing more than hate and division and is done to antagonise and provoke old wounds. That is unacceptable and that must stop.”

However, a joint statement from the opposition parties attacked the proposed measures, which include jail terms of up to five years for behaviour that could cause public disorder in and around matches. It said the SNP had “railroaded” through a “bad law” that risked doing “more harm than good”.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman David McLetchie, said: “What we will now see is a flood of prosecutions under the bill, as current laws are ignored in favour of the new legislation. No doubt this will be presented as a great success by the SNP, but in reality, it will be a sham.”

Labour’s justice spokesman James Kelly described the measures as “flawed”, while Green MSP Patrick Harvie said the bill “blunders unthinkingly towards new offences on hate speech”. Jeannete Findlay, chair of the Celtic Trust, who was among those supporters banned, described the bill as “illiberal” and said it would hand too much power to the police.

She said: “It was also a very illiberal decision to stop fans from watching the debate. The Scottish Parliament’s officials have prevented citizens peacefully watching a debate just because they didn’t like our T-shirts.”

She said her group would consider standing in elections and that the SNP would “pay the price” for introducing the bill.

A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said: “Banners and slogans are not permitted.”