Fair Comment (27/05/16)
A lot has been written in recent days about the ugly scenes which followed Hibernian Football Club's famous and historic win over Glasgow Rangers in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final.
Brian Monteith writing in The Scotsman made a lot of sense and as a Hibernian supporter he made no attempt to underplay the seriousness of the thuggish behaviour of fellow Hibs fans who invaded the pitch, intimidated, jolted and spat at Rangers players, and vandalised the pitch along with its goal posts and nets.
Nor did Brian Monteith turn a blind eye to the Rangers fans (as did Rangers FC in the club's official response) who set off dangerous flares during the match and indulged, yet again, in their sectarian abuse of rival fans.
The fact that Brian Monteith is a former Conservative MSP should not devalue what he has to say, but sadly that's not the case if comments on social media are anything to go by.
Brian Monteith: Cup final marred by thugs and security failures
Police line up to shepherd the fans off the Hampden pitch, but should they have acted quicker to ensure that what began as a cup celebration didn t turn into something uglier? Picture: SNS
By BRIAN MONTEITH - The Scotsman
AFTER waiting 114 years, Hibs fans saw their celebrations overshadowed by scenes of violence, writes Brian Monteith
Two instances that I witnessed before Saturday’s Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Hibernian summed up the good and the bad of what afflicts Scottish football but does not attach itself to rugby or any other sport.
The first was when my wife and I, together with my sons and a few douce upstanding Edinburgh figures, were sitting out on the lawn of a Glasgow hotel finishing our beers minding no-one’s business other than our own. It was then that three coaches of Rangers supporters parked immediately outside, and the contents spilled out on to the street and we became the subject of some chanting and taunts.
Mob Mentality (27/05/16)
The Daily Record had an interesting story on events surrounding the Scottish Cup Final last weekend with claims that police on standby outside the stadium were prevented from responding to the events inside, by a hostile mob employing tactics only seen previously in Northern Ireland, according to one officer.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-claim-mob-rule-outside-8052126#T8J72AU3yX7KriFQ.97
Cops claim mob rule outside Hampden stopped them getting in to deal with battling Rangers and Hibs fans
BY JANE HAMILTON - The Daily Record
POLICE officers stationed outside the ground say they were prevented from entering the stadium by angry crowds of Rangers fans who had just left Hamden.
Officers claim they were prevented from getting into Hampden due to 'mob rule' outside
POLICE officers stationed outside Hampden when thousands of fans invaded the pitch claim they were prevented from entering the stadium by angry Rangers crowds.
Complaints included being subjected to a barrage of abuse, their vans being jostled and some parents were accused of using their own kids to block roads.
One account given to the Record said a “mob mentality” prevailed outside the National Stadium after Hibs beat Rangers 3-2 in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
We were told people impeding and attacking a police convoy led to a 20-minute delay in riot control officers getting into the stadium.
POLICE officers stationed outside Hampden when thousands of fans invaded the pitch claim they were prevented from entering the stadium by angry Rangers crowds.
Complaints included being subjected to a barrage of abuse, their vans being jostled and some parents were accused of using their own kids to block roads.
One account given to the Record said a “mob mentality” prevailed outside the National Stadium after Hibs beat Rangers 3-2 in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
We were told people impeding and attacking a police convoy led to a 20-minute delay in riot control officers getting into the stadium.
