Accusations of Racism at Celtic V Livingston

Thought this deserves a thread.

Not because I'm giving credence to unproved accusations, just in the event that it DID happen, we can discuss it openly.

The reporter in question does seem to be regarded as an actual journalist, and not some tool from a red top rag.

The accusation is that a single Celtic supporter shouted "monkey" at Livingston player Ayo Obileye.

Details are scarce, and his accusation is yet to be corroborated by either witnesses, authorities, the player in question, or either club.

The journalist himself does appear to be milking it, posting links to news sites that have picked up the story. Skysports, which is loathed to even mention us out with a match report, is also running it.

Black superhero Marvin Bartley, has also, unsurprisingly, stuck his oar in. Marvin's super powers include being able to chase down racism and racists, faster than a speeding bullet and to leap over tall bigots in a single bound. Unfortunately, Marvin's Kryptonite appears to be Anti Irish racism and bigotry, which renders him blind, deaf and dumb, and causing excruciating arthritis in his fingers which prevent him from using Twitter.

If this DID happen, then the * scumbag who shouted it should never darken our door again, and should be tossed in the * nick to re-evaluate his or her life.

What I do find a little odd, is that the journalist in question doesn't mention any reaction to the instance.
I've been at CP and watched handbags at ten paces break out over totally innocuous insults at players, with other fans calling it out and squaring up... I find it very strange that this was tolerated by Celtic fans, or that stewards weren't involved.

For those reasons, I'm reserving judgement until we hear more details.

But for me, as if this moment...pinch of salt please. I prefer my accusations to have been prepared with proof and seasoned with details.

 

Ok, I'm in agreement with you that if they called someone a monkey, it is clearly meant as a remark regarding their skin colour, and they should be chased and face all the charges brought to bear...

However as devil's advocate, I also need to point out that; in Ireland, the very innocuous term 'ape' is used very regularly - to men and women of all races/colours, with zero actual offense intended. It's kinda the Irish equivalent of calling someone an eejit. Is it possible that this is what was heard, and then misconstrued?

 

Clutching at straws there mate with the ape thing.. if someone called him a monkey I'd have no doubt it was meant as a racist slur..

Very disappointing if its true and a reminder these * that feel the need to racially abuse people still walk among us and need weeded out..

 

If it did happen (totally unacceptable btw) I'm sure they would have been hounded out of the place. Happened in my section before, someone used a racial slur and he and his pal got chased by everyone around them.

 

At the time of the alleged incident, the stadium had just finished singing ‘Bobby Madden, you’re a *’.

I think it’s far more likely the ‘monkey’ jibe was directed at Madden, and in the context of it being used to label Huns (see the GB’s ‘the monkeys died’ display vs Sevco at Hampden).

I can’t see someone hurling racial abuse at Celtic Park and the other fans letting them get away with it.

 

If it happened they should be hammered. No point in pretending its not a possibility at Celtic Park. Every fanbase has their roasters.

 

One person out of 50,000 plus may or may not have shouted something. We have the day so of one other person among those 50,000.

Let’s have a thread on it so we can discuss this thing that may or may not have happened.

Makes sense.

 

It's not the sort of thing a foreign journalist would make up. It should be condemned and the individual identified, if possible, and banned for life if there's any substance to it.

I think sometimes people get quite defensive about this when in reality it's quite simple. I saw someone call Marvin Bartley a hun earlier too -based on what? His interest in a case of reported abuse?

 

His appareances on sportscene, on the radio and in the papers, I think he comes across as a hun or always seems to have a chip on his shoulder about us for some reason ??

Also agree think if there was chants about Madden I think itll been about him , if not an directed at the player then the person should be banned but remember a few years ago video proof from ibrox , wa fans making monkey gestures about Dembele and Sinclair what happened with that?

 

Where in ireland is that used as opposed to eejit?

Ya read some * on this forum.

 

No idea if this happened or not. but going from yesterdays performance it's more likely someone was calling one of our own players a donkey than shouting monkey at anyone else, but I could be wrong.

 

I already said that if they called him a monkey I've no interest in defending them. Quite the opposite, I'd be one of the first chasing them...

I just found it weird that noone else was bothered, so maybe there was a context. And I stand over the Irish thing. Moved here over 2 decades ago and hear it used all the time, exactly as I said... I don't know if that was the case in this instance, but like I said, it's a possibility

 

Limerick. Lived here for over 20 years and regularly hear people who do something stupid called "ya *' ape!"... It's not considered offensive at all, a bit like the use of "stupid *" in Glasgow

Edit: admittedly, it may only be a Limerick thing, I've not spent much time living elsewhere beyond visiting

 

Hun behaviour.

Needs stamped out.

 

Mate I was born raised and live in Ireland and I have rarely heard the word ape used other than a racist slur.. I know of one lad I'm in a WhatsApp group with who uses it a lot to describe people he doesn't like.. he's a racist prison officer..

Secondly this was in Glasgow at a football match directed at a black opposition player and the term apparently used was "Monkey" so any connection with ape and Ireland is spurious to say the least so the possibility as you say is slim..

We don't know the full details and in sure if it'* the headlines it will be investigated by the club but trying to make excuses doesn't help..

 

I'm from Belfast, I've good mates from Limerick, Dublin, Donegal, Galway etc...

Never heard any of them call anyone an "ape" in jest.

"Chimp" is another thing though. But mostly restricted to my Belfast friends. Eg. Stop acting the * chimp/ that Bai is a pure chimp etc etc. Used interchangeably with "goat".

If someone shouted "monkey" at the player, it's clearly a racist insult. No point trying to explain it away

 

The club should investigate and if the accusation is found to be true the individual should be banned for life.

Shame it's become a social media incident as from the brief clip I heard it sounds like one single person, not quite sure what they said, it might have been monkey, so get where the journalist is coming from.

The club can't be publicising zero tolerance to racism and not investigate.

 

I vividly remember being at a Celtic home game against Aberdeen back in the Deila era on a sunny, crisp spring Sunday afternoon and sat right next to me was a lad around his mid-20’s with a Glasgow smile (knife scar on his face which went from his mouth to ear). I didn’t even know he was there initially (there were quite a few unoccupied seats in the area I was seated, so maybe he was in a different seat originally and took advantage of the spare ones available) until he called one of the Aberdeen players a ‘black b******’. I was taken by surprise, but the guy did look like your stereotypical ned (and no doubt, given the scar on his cheek, he had spent some of his youth in and out of the clink).

As a poster said upthread, there are undesirables in every support, but they are definitely — thankfully — in a very small minority, especially within our support.