Blaming the Victim
I've had some interesting exchanges this week with a few readers who implied that Hibs manager Neil Lennon somehow 'had it coming' in respect of all the hatred and violence he's encountered for years, both on and off the football field.
Now I'm sure these folk would never dream of blaming a friend or a member of their own family who faced similar treatment, so here's a little reminder of just some of the outrageous behaviour Neil Lennon has faced during his long footballing career.
2002
Neil Lennon was forced to pull out of a match as Northern Ireland's captain after receiving death threats - the player had recently signed for Celtic Football Club
2003
Two students Greg Miller (20) and Neil McLeod (20) pled guilty and were fined for an unprovoked and violent attack on Neil Lennon.
2009
Jeffrey Carrigan (43) and David Whitelaw (47) were jailed for a “vicious, brutal and cowardly” attack on Celtic coach Neil Lennon.
2011
Neil Lennon was sent bullets through the post while manager of Celtic
2011
Celtic manager Neil Lennon was physically attacked on the touchline at Tynecastle by a Hearts fan - the incident was shown on live TV.
2011
The Daily Record was forced to apologise for the following headline ahead a Rangers v Celtic game at Ibrox: “Who’s more hated at Ibrox – is it Lennon or the taxman?”
2012
David Craig (24) posted a photo of Neil Lennon covered in bullet wounds and was sent to prison for 14 months.
2012
Trevor Muirhead (44) and Neil McKenzie (42) were found guilty of sending parcel bombs to Neil Lennon.
2013
William Kilpatrick (22) was found guilty of breach of the peace after posting online that Neil Lennon should be sent more bullets and bombs.
2014
Christopher Hay (22) who tweeted his wish that 'someone would kill that ugly ginger' was cleared of committing any offence
2018
Neil Lennon was hit by a coin thrown by a 'fan' during the Hearts vs Hibs derby
2018
The next day ‘Hang Neil Lennon’ graffiti appeared on a wall near Tynecastle.
Now if you ask me, there is simply no excuse for this kind of appalling behaviour and the more people who stand up and say so the better.
So call it out!
Jailed pair join list of yobs who have attacked Neil Lennon
By ROBERT McAULAY and ASHLIE McANALLY
27th April 2012, 11:00 pm Updated: 5th April 2016, 7:12 pm
JAILED parcel bombers Trevor Muirhead and Neil McKenzie are the latest yobs to
join a growing list of shame — made up of ELEVEN thugs convicted of
targeting Neil Lennon.
The pair were handed five years each by judge Lord Turnbull for teaming up to
construct horrific packages marked for the Celtic boss, late QC Paul McBride
and former MSP Trish Godman.
And their conviction highlighted how Lennon has had to endure over A DECADE of
abuse and attacks following his arrival as a player in 2000.
Jailing the bomb plot duo, from Ayrshire, Lord Turnbull said: “It is
incomprehensible that two family men in their 40s would engage in such
reckless and serious forms of criminal conduct.”
Their names were added to a despicable catalogue of yobbery against
40-year-old Lennon.
In 2003, students Gregg Miller and Neil MacLeod were fined a total of £900 for
attacking Lennon in Glasgow’s West End.
A year later car salesman Thomas Ferrie got a £500 fine for road rage after
chasing Lennon along the M8 and yelling abuse.
In January 2009, Rangers fans Jeffrey Carrigan and David Whitelaw were jailed
for two years each for battering the then coach in Glasgow’s Ashton Lane.
Last September Hearts fan John Wilson was cleared of assaulting Lennon at
Tynecastle — but jailed for eight months after being convicted of a breach
of the peace for running on to the pitch.
Then last October bigot Stephen Birrell was locked up for eight months for
posting vile comments on a Facebook page.
Also that month Robert Rollie was spared jail after he too wrote threatening
messages about Lennon on ANOTHER Facebook site.
And just last month David Craig was sentenced to 14 months for posting a
picture online of Lennon covered in bullet wounds.
Muirhead, 44, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and McKenzie, 42, of Saltcoats, were
found guilty of their plot following a five-week trial at the High Court in
Glasgow. They began their hate campaign on March 4 last year. Two parcels
were sent in less than a month to Lennon after the Hoops boss was involved
in a Scottish Cup touchline tussle with Ally McCoist.
The first — addressed to Celtic Park — was found at a Saltcoats postbox packed
with 248 nails and putty. And the second — sent to Celtic’s training HQ —
was intercepted by postal staff.
It contained 43 nails, a digital timer, wires and a bottle containing a
chemical substance.
Days later a similar package was sent to Celtic fan Ms Godman in Bridge of
Weir, Renfrewshire.
Two more followed for Republican group Cairde Na hEireann and Mr McBride,
right — who tragically died in Pakistan last month. They were also not
delivered. But the hapless duo set up devices that could not explode.
McKenzie even got “bomb making” tips from 80s TV show The A-Team.
The bungling pair also committed a string of gaffes.
Jobless McKenzie chatted about “building a bomb” while his car was bugged —
and was caught on CCTV buying parts while shopping with his OAP mum.
And dad-of-six Muirhead got his hairdresser son to buy bottles of peroxide for
the “bombs”.
But Lord Turnbull added: “Even the sending of a parcel bomb as a hoax would
always be a serious offence that would likely end in a custodial sentence.”
The pair were found guilty of a plot to assault their targets. Both were
originally accused of a more serious charge of conspiring to murder but it
was thrown out due to insufficient evidence.
McKenzie also got 18 months for sending a hoax bomb, but was ordered to serve
it concurrently.
Last night lawyer Aamar Anwar, a friend of late Mr McBride, said: “Neil Lennon
was subjected to the most vitriolic abuse heard in decades.
“Had a similar campaign of hate taken place because someone was black there
would quite rightly have been a national outcry.
“A fitting tribute to Paul McBride would be for Scotland to unite in their
thousands in their team colours and condemn this cancer.”
robertmcaulay@the-sun.co.uk
Sectarian Thug (21/03/18)
Rangers Football Club have issued a lifetime ban to the sectarian thug who was sent to prison for posting explosive packages to the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, and other well-known Scottish Catholics.
But the moron is now thumbing his nose at the club by getting other fans to buy him a ticket and posting 'selfies' of himself at Rangers matches where he is engaging in other sectarian activities such as holding a paramilitary UVF banner.
Now McKenzie is exactly the kind of individual who should be given a lifetime football banning order and I hope the police will assist Rangers and all their decent fans in getting rid of this kind of 'supporter' from the Scottish game.
Sinister letter bomber Neil McKenzie holds up flag praising loyalist terrorists at Ibrox as he flouts lifetime ban from Rangers
By Mark McGivern -The Daily Record
DESPITE being told in person that he was not welcome at Ibrox, the hate-filled thug arranged for a friend to buy tickets on his behalf for Saturday's home game against Livingston.
By Mark McGivern -The Daily Record
DESPITE being told in person that he was not welcome at Ibrox, the hate-filled thug arranged for a friend to buy tickets on his behalf for Saturday's home game against Livingston.
Letter bomber Neil McKenzie returns to Ibrox
LETTER bomber Neil McKenzie sneaked back into Ibrox at the weekend – pouring scorn on the club he shamed.
The thug who sent explosive packages through the post to former Celtic manager Neil Lennon and other prominent Catholics was banned for life from Ibrox after the Record published photos of him at the ground last week .
Despite being told in person that he was not welcome by Ibrox security chief David Martin, McKenzie arranged for a friend to buy tickets on his behalf for Saturday’s game home against Livingston.
He travelled from his home in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, with his two sons and walked into the ground of a club who never want to see him again.
McKenzie then appeared to hold up a flag praising loyalist terrorists the Ulster Volunteer Force.
One Rangers fan who became aware of McKenzie’s refusal to stay away said: “He knows he isn’t welcome but he’s determined to show how clever he is by going back.
“He was telling people that he doesn’t care because the club has no real power to take any action against him.
“He says he will be back again.”
McKenzie sat in a section of the ground where a huge flag was unfurled, stating a loyalist slogan, “When the sound of the battle is over, it’s shoulder to shoulder we’ll stand.”
LETTER bomber Neil McKenzie sneaked back into Ibrox at the weekend – pouring scorn on the club he shamed.
The thug who sent explosive packages through the post to former Celtic manager Neil Lennon and other prominent Catholics was banned for life from Ibrox after the Record published photos of him at the ground last week .
Despite being told in person that he was not welcome by Ibrox security chief David Martin, McKenzie arranged for a friend to buy tickets on his behalf for Saturday’s game home against Livingston.
He travelled from his home in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, with his two sons and walked into the ground of a club who never want to see him again.
McKenzie then appeared to hold up a flag praising loyalist terrorists the Ulster Volunteer Force.
One Rangers fan who became aware of McKenzie’s refusal to stay away said: “He knows he isn’t welcome but he’s determined to show how clever he is by going back.
“He was telling people that he doesn’t care because the club has no real power to take any action against him.
“He says he will be back again.”
McKenzie sat in a section of the ground where a huge flag was unfurled, stating a loyalist slogan, “When the sound of the battle is over, it’s shoulder to shoulder we’ll stand.”
SNS Group - McKenzie boasts about holding the UVF banner
The verse is taken from a banned song dedicated to the UVF, the group who, with their affiliates, murdered at least 485 people during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
McKenzie boasted about his excursion on a Facebook page, where he uses the name Diego Moltoban.
He posted a photo of himself and a family member sitting within the stadium during Rangers’ 1-1 draw. Beneath it was a jibe at the Record for exposing him.
McKenzie, as Moltoban, praised the UVF banner, posting: “What about the banner by the Union Bears? It absolute peach (sic). No doubt the offended will say it’s sectarian”.
He added: “We couldn’t see the park for it, held it up for ages.”
Last week, after the Record revealed that McKenzie, 45, had attended a game against Queen of the South , the club tracked down the obsessive fan to tell him he was banned from all matches involving the club.
Celtic supporters sang 'There's only one Neil Lennon!' at the match against Hearts on Saturday to show solidarity with a former club favourite who has been the subject of a shocking campaign of violence and intimidation, simply because of his Irish Catholic roots.
The club also played 'Something Inside So Strong' over its public address system as a message to the racists, bigots and bullies - that they will never win.
Call it Out!
The verse is taken from a banned song dedicated to the UVF, the group who, with their affiliates, murdered at least 485 people during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
McKenzie boasted about his excursion on a Facebook page, where he uses the name Diego Moltoban.
He posted a photo of himself and a family member sitting within the stadium during Rangers’ 1-1 draw. Beneath it was a jibe at the Record for exposing him.
McKenzie, as Moltoban, praised the UVF banner, posting: “What about the banner by the Union Bears? It absolute peach (sic). No doubt the offended will say it’s sectarian”.
He added: “We couldn’t see the park for it, held it up for ages.”
Last week, after the Record revealed that McKenzie, 45, had attended a game against Queen of the South , the club tracked down the obsessive fan to tell him he was banned from all matches involving the club.
Neil McKenzie posts his match selfie on Facebook
He was made aware that he should not try to obtain tickets from any source.
Club sources emphasised the ban was for life and would not be revoked.
McKenzie and fellow thug Trevor Muirhead, 47, were each jailed for five years in April 2012 for a letter bomb campaign against Lennon, former MSP Trish Godman and the late QC Paul McBride, as well as the office of an Irish republican group.
McKenzie was freed from jail in June last year after serving two years in prison. Muirhead was freed last September.
The pair were convicted of conspiring to assault.
Their trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard McKenzie was motivated by a vicious hatred of
Celtic FC and Irish republicanism.
Packages contained what was believed to be the explosive triacetone triperoxide.
Last night a Rangers spokesman said: “The club has made it very clear to this man that he is not welcome at Ibrox and our staff are aware that he should not be allowed to buy tickets.”
He was made aware that he should not try to obtain tickets from any source.
Club sources emphasised the ban was for life and would not be revoked.
McKenzie and fellow thug Trevor Muirhead, 47, were each jailed for five years in April 2012 for a letter bomb campaign against Lennon, former MSP Trish Godman and the late QC Paul McBride, as well as the office of an Irish republican group.
McKenzie was freed from jail in June last year after serving two years in prison. Muirhead was freed last September.
The pair were convicted of conspiring to assault.
Their trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard McKenzie was motivated by a vicious hatred of
Celtic FC and Irish republicanism.
Packages contained what was believed to be the explosive triacetone triperoxide.
Last night a Rangers spokesman said: “The club has made it very clear to this man that he is not welcome at Ibrox and our staff are aware that he should not be allowed to buy tickets.”
There's Only One Neil Lennon! (06/11/18)
Celtic supporters sang 'There's only one Neil Lennon!' at the match against Hearts on Saturday to show solidarity with a former club favourite who has been the subject of a shocking campaign of violence and intimidation, simply because of his Irish Catholic roots.
The club also played 'Something Inside So Strong' over its public address system as a message to the racists, bigots and bullies - that they will never win.
Call it Out!
