Is Sectarianism Still a Religious Issue in Scotland?

As everyone is well aware, it is Scotland’s two biggest football clubs that are seen as the embodiment of the sectarian divide in this country. The pair represent either side of the split. Rangers and Celtic; Protestantism and Catholicism. This has always been the case and it has come to be accepted that football is the vehicle that carries and expresses the views of these two particular sub-sects of Christianity.

This is how it is and how it always was. Rangers supporters are Protestants and Celtic supports are Catholics. This is why there is a bitter hatred between fans and it is the root cause of any violence or sectarian related crime. Only it isn’t. At least not anymore. And this misunderstanding has to be addressed. In order to tackle the problem of sectarianism in Scottish society, it is important that we understand it. Without knowing exactly what it is, it leaves those attempting to solve the problem at a disadvantage. With everyone believing that this is still a religious problem, the country is already on the back-foot in the fight against it.

In a 2011 census it was revealed that 37% of Scottish people claim that they have no religious affiliations whatsoever; a nine percent increase from 2001. This figure has undoubtedly risen since then, too. This shows that labelling any violence as sectarian related is careless at best. This is now a football problem; not a religious one.

Scotland is becoming and increasingly secular society. Religious identity and association is decreasing every year, yet the violence and rivalry is still being classed as sectarian. Writing in The Guardian in 2011, Steve Bruce described the situation in Scotland as two sides with “equally false religio-ethnic identities”.

What was once a genuine religious matter with a footballing face has transformed into the opposite. The religious aspect is still used by fans from either side as a form of defence or attack. For example, where other football teams tend to chant or sing to wind up the opposition, Celtic and Rangers incorporate facets of their religious history, in this case religious, to use against the other.

The caveat to all of this though is this added layer of tension that makes the Old Firm rivalry one of the very best in world football. Few other matches in football can compete with the passion that carries the fixture. It’s why it remains so popular, despite the overall quality of Scottish football being much lower than it’s European counterparts.

The media in Scotland also has a big role in maintaining the narrative of sectarianism in the country. It is a profitable story for the media to tell. A stabbing with a sectarian motive will sell more papers. People are much more interested in a crime if it is labelled as a sectarian one.

Perhaps this is the reason that Scottish society has yet to fully realise that the issue in Scotland is becoming more of a football one and less of a religious one. This claim is backed up by study after study that has been undertaken in the last decade.

This doesn’t however, make any crimes committed any less serious or any more tolerable. A crime is a crime and should be treated as such. It is clear though that the problem is a sporting one, and labelling it as sectarian is, in many cases, inaccurate.

The truth is that in modern Scottish society, ‘sectarian related offences’ are almost exclusively football related. These offences now carry much more of a sporting rationale than a religious ones and people have to realise this if there is to be any progress in the fight against it.

Sectarianism in Scottish Society

Sectarianism is one of the most problematic and divisive issues currently facing Scotland today. The idea of Protestant against Catholic is as much a part of our nationalistic story as any of the other clichéd stereotypes you care to name. It is an unwanted narrative that has managed to attach itself to Scottish culture; and one that is very hard to scrub Sectarianism is the barrier of bigotry and hatred that divides various religious groups throughout the world. In the Middle East, sectarian violence divides Islam in the form of Sunni against Shia. Recently in Myanmar it has taken the form of Buddhists clashing with Muslims.

In Scotland it comes in the form of Protestant and Catholic. More simplistically though, Scotland’s divide can be broken down even further and explained in a more accurate way as ‘Rangers vs Celtic’. Sectarianism appears to have moved on from a religious issue and into a sporting one in Scotland. Whatever it has become in recent times though, it’s patently clear that it has to be studied addressed.

Currently, it is a topic that’s rarely far from the headlines and through the use of mobile technologies and the internet, videos of sectarian songs and chanting at football stadiums or in public places are readily available for all to see. The advent of the internet has taken the issue out of the football stadiums and into the mainstream spotlight.

It’s such a cultural behemoth in Scotland that it has even been brought to the theatre in recent weeks. Playwright Martin O’Connor, who was himself inspired by secondary school pupils in Glasgow, has used the topic for his latest stage show. The production was part of Glasgow’s Tron Theatre’s week long “football colours allowed” programme as a response to the issue of sectarianism.

The past few months has also seen a rise in anti-sectarianism projects, such as this one by North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club, aimed at tackling the problem and helping to kick it out of society. Many of these initiatives are trying to tackle the problem by addressing it at youth level. These are great instances of the positive work being done to help solve the problem in Scotland.

However, it’s not all positive news. In recent months there has been an investigation into the alleged chanting of sectarian songs by football fans; an incident in which two men were arrested and charged under the Offensive Behaviour at ‘Football and Threatening Communications act’. There has also been a rise in the number of arrests for sectarian related offences. In February, there were 37 arrests made during the Old Firm match, 12 of which were for sectarian related offences.

It’s an issue that still troubles our society and one which, thankfully, is being addressed through some excellent projects at both national and local levels. It is apparent though, when looking at recent incidents, that there is still a long way to go before it can be claimed that there has been any real success in the fight against sectarianism in Scotland.

A pro-active approach is needed in order to help educate people about the issue in order to prevent the next generation growing up harbouring the same mindless hate and bigotry that is causing so many problems today.

Sports Journalist joins our Team

Tom Wilde is a sports journalist that graduated from the University of the West of Scotland in 2014. He regularly contributes to some very popular sports websites and has a keen interest in many sports; football especially.

“As someone with a great love for sport, the issue of sectarianism is one that is of great interest to me as well as others in the field of sports journalism. It’s very divisive and has some very negative effects in this country, which is sad to see.

It’s great to see North Ayrshire Table Tennis taking a stand on the issue and trying to do their part to help solve what is unfortunately still a big problem in Scotland. NATTC has an excellent record of coaching children in the local area and this is where I feel the work should be done to tackle sectarianism. I believe that education is key and this is an area in which NATTC and its coaches excel.

I am very proud to have been asked to help contribute to NATTC’s anti-sectarian project and hope to be able to play my part in what is a very exciting campaign.“ Tom will be contributing to the blog section of the site and will aim to provide engaging content about the issue of sectarianism.

Reading Material

We have got several copies of Divided City & Walk the Walk which are available for any club member to take home and read. Both novels were developed to educate young people about the consequences of sectarianism and are used by secondary schools to develop pupils understanding of the issue.

Divided City – Theresa Breslin

A young man lies bleeding in the street. It could be any street, in any city. But it’s not. It’s Glasgow. And it’s May – the marching season. The Orange Walks have begun. Graham doesn’t want to be involved. He just wants to play football with his new mate, Joe. But when he witnesses a shocking moment of violence, suddenly he and Joe are involved. With Catholics, and with Protestants. With a young Muslim asylum-seeker, and his girlfriend. With all the old rivalries – and fears …A gripping tale about two boys who must find their own answers – and their own way forward – in a world divided by differences.

Walk the Walk – Gowan Calder

During December 2014, literacy tutors and support workers across Scotland will be receivingcopies of the graphic novel Walk The Walk for use with learners who attend literacy support groups.This book was developed by Scottish Book Trust in collaboration with learners and tutors and written by Gowan Calder and illustrated by Jill Calder, with support from the Scottish Government, as one of the 44 projects created to help to tackle sectarianism.  Walk The Walk will not only help develop literacy skills but will also provide an educational opportunity to explore possible solutions, issues and circumstances that surround sectarian behaviour.

Rab McGowan and Robbie Black are firm friends. Old Firm friends, you might say. The two boys, who live at opposite ends of the same street, have been inseparable since primary school. On this street, The Walk, there is a split between the top end and the bottom end and it sometimes feels more like a war zone than a neighbourhood.As Rab’s cousin Kylie gets ready to marry Robbie’s brother Romeo, tempers are flaring and both families think the wedding is a betrayal of their roots. Can Rab and Robbie get the residents of The Walk to put their differences aside for just one day?