Incitement to attack Celtic players and fans shows they are dangerously out of control
At the best of times they're unpleasant – a “permanent embarrassment and an occasional disgrace,” as one journalist famously said of the club they commemorate.They set out to offend and sometimes achieve the notoriety they are seeking with the crudest displays of anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry.
The Union Bears are a group of people who you wouldn't leave alone with sharp objects, never mind an egg and a microwave,
But, when those who are motivated by little other than being noticed and don't get the attention they crave, they can quickly move towards becoming dangerous.
And that appears to be the case with their fans' march before Celtic visit Ibrox on Sunday (or the “match against the Fenians”, as they put it).
Forget the obvious copycatting of the Green Brigade with their Corteos – no one has a monopoly on walking the highways (and many of the Union Bears are will be experienced street-walkers).
But the banner calling on supporters to take to the streets “in dark clothing” carries a clear incitement to violence against Celtic supporters and/or players.
The “Goodnight, Green White” has a silhouette image of someone wearing a green-and-white hooped jersey being kicked in the head, which could only reasonably be interpreted as encouraging physical assaults.
This should particularly concern the Scottish Football Association, given the number of incursions by fans of The Rangers in recent years, especially in light of the rioting at Hampden after the 2016 Scottish Cup Final.
There can be no excuses for Rangers continuing to accommodate this group of dangerously out-of-control thugs and Police Scotland must take all necessary measures to prevent threats to public safety.
The time to act on that is now, when the incitement is so explicit as it is with the Union Bears' poster.
Waiting until after the called-for assaults have taken place is not an option.
Ironically, as many will be aware, the image they chose to adapt is a famous one with Anti-Fascist Action (AntiFA) groups for years (you can read about its origins here) but it's not the first time that extreme right-wing hate groups have missed the irony of their own messages.
But, while the march has, as with most Union Bears activities, been met with mockery, the potential consequences are serious.
There is no place for this in football and there is no place for this in Scotland.
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