They have to me, the first time I set foot in Celtic Park I was 6 years old (over 30 years ago) and went to watch the football with my Dad and my Granda (who actually came from Ireland ) not to listen to some 'political songs'.
Celtic was set up as a football club first and foremost, which allowed them to provide support to the deprived in the east end of Glasgow 130 YEARS ago. It wasn't formed to support pseudo-political groups that attach themselves to every virtue signalling movement of the day. What exactly is waving a few flags at CP going to achieve? If you really care, go and provide some humanitarian aid to the West Bank, I'm sure a select few probably do but there are many more that don't and just like to make the 'right noises'.
It's very much a case of people feeling like they need to belong to a club/clique, I've never been one for that , I've always been an individual thinker.

The rules say no political messages but UEFA pick and choose when this is applicable.

They gave England special dispensation to display poppies yet somehow it's wrong for real fans to display a flag of country.

Fine or not the fans should carry on doing what they believe is right.

Whit?

Have you ever looked at the Barcelona badge?
It's the flag of the region, it might have political associations now but it's still the LOCAL flag.

People are free to wear poppies if they want but I won't simply because I know that support after WWII was not exactly egalitarian and I'm pretty sure that continues to this day.

So you are agreeing with me that they were never just a football club then.


Have you missed the press it has generated? Have you missed the messages on social media from people in Palestine thanking the Celtic support for what they have done?

As I said previously a couple hundred outside the Israeli embassy would have gotten no press coverage, this has gotten loads.


I donate to the SPSC.


Or they want to do the right thing and highlight what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people.


Nobody is telling you to do anything that you don't want to.

Lescott has said "no thanks".

On the contrary the GB are constantly telling EVERYONE they should be supporting Palestine or whatever else is topical, it's what the displays are for -

"Look at us, Look at us, look how great we are, you should think like this too"

It's attention seeking children's behaviour that achieves absolutely SFA except filling the coffers of UEFA even further.

They is way off the mark.

They represent nobody but themselves and they constantly say that.


The very fact it got the column inches and media overage it has means it has achieved exactly what it was set out to do.

They are forcing their opinion on everyone else, a couple of hundred people in stadium of 60,000. Do you seriously think a single person read the media coverage that wasn't aware of the Palestinian conflict? How has that achieved anything?

I do think the GB bring something to CP when they concentrate on supporting the team, they can help generate a terrific atmosphere but the rest of it just leaves me cold.

They are no more forcing their opinion on others than you are forcing your opinion on me.


It has kept it in the news and brought it to the fore.

This is a discussion you are willingly partaking in, I must have missed the GB asking me whether I wanted to suffer their shite.

It's done nothing but you can kid yourself on that it has though. I think therein lies the problem with many of the GB 'political activists' - self-delusion.

I dislike associating football teams (Rangers as well as Celtic) with political causes especially when it can get your team in trouble and make some of your fellow fans feel uncomfortable. Much of it is posturing or tribalism.

It wasn't just the Green Brigade who flew the flag on Wednesday they were all over the ground.

People who wanted to take part did and those who didn't didn't.

People had the option.

Nobodies opinion was forced on anyone else.


It has made the news all over the world. It has done exactly what it was designed to do.

I imagine similar displays happen when Israeli clubs at other European stadia... It is barely newsworthy and most of the fans will have only a vague idea of what they are protesting about.

Kind of proves my point, you'll convince yourself of anything!

Well it ain't news all over the world, that's for sure. (except probably in Celtic supporters clubs)

Politics has no place in Football. But unfortunately its rife and always will be.

Scotland - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion...ns-who-8658138
England - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...h-against-isr/
Russia - https://www.rt.com/sport/356335-pale...ootball-match/
America - http://europe.newsweek.com/celtic-fa...s-491363?rm=eu
Israel - http://www.timesofisrael.com/celtic-...oel-beersheba/
Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Bolivia - http://www.telesurtv.net/english/new...0817-0019.html
Ireland - http://www.joe.co.uk/sport/celtic-fa...eli-side/80315
Pakistan - http://tribune.com.pk/story/1165842/...el-beer-sheva/
Turkey - https://www.trtworld.com:10443/sport...li-team-167290
The Middle East - http://www.albawaba.com/loop/celtic-...lestine-874606
Australia - http://www.news.com.au/video/id-M0MG...rael-August-17

But hey, Nova21 says it isn't in the news all over the world.

We also have members of the Scottish parliament mentioning it - http://www.parliament.scot/parliamen...ultsPerPage=10

Pity. Sinclair and Griffiths would have ripped him to shreds.

Ok, it is reported as everything is reported these days, however a few hundred ignorant Scots holding up a flag that they wouldn't have been able to identify before the match, doesn't do anything to help the Palestinian situation.

But Celtic Park is as much a political stage as it is a great football amphitheatre

"Ignorant Scots".

I think there is certainly someone on here who is ignorant.

So if we take the English speaking countries (with ex-pats) out of the mix and the Israelis of course, we're talking about 6 countries, many with a vested interest.

Are they most likely not Scottish?

You have to think that they'll sign Senderos now.

I notice he wasn't at the Euros, was he injured or is he out of the picture for his national team?

According to reports it was the medical team that said "no thanks"

It was a 2 minute google search and I found about 20 countries that would have covered. I dear say that if I was to search in French, German, Spanish etc I'd find more articles.


You seem to know them all given the pejorative term you used to describe them so you tell me.