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Islam Times Exclusive:

Celtic to ban fans over poppy protest

Islam Times , 9 Nov 2010 23:57

Reporter : Zermina Awan

Islam Times - A poppy protest, involving fans holding banners describing the remembrance poppy as “bloodstained”, during a football match has caused outrage.


The protest, staged by a number of Celtic fans during the game on Saturday, was in opposition to the team wearing poppies on their shirts next weekend.

One banner read “no bloodstained poppies on our hoops”, while another carried the slogan “Your deeds would shame all the devils in Hell” above the words “Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan”.

The protest was apparently organised by a group called the Green Brigade. A statement on their website attacks the football club for its decision to support the poppy appeal, referring to Bloody Sunday, Basra and the sinking of the Argentinian warship the General Belgrano during the Falklands War.

The statement read: “While we recognise the right of individuals to remember their dead and that many within the Celtic support will wear the poppy in memory of family and friends lost in WW2 and other conflicts, we cannot accept the imposition of the poppy onto our shirts.”

Celtic were quick to apologise for the banners but DUP MP, Gregory Campbell, said Celtic must take further action and a lone apology was not enough.

Allegedly Celtic have since said that they will track down the responsible fans and ban them for life.

Last week in a letter to the Guardian newspaper, a group of veterans complained that the true aims of the poppy appeal had been hijacked and was instead being used to gather support for current conflicts.

“A day that should be about peace and remembrance is turned into a month-long drum-roll of support for current wars. This year's campaign has been launched with showbiz hype. The true horror and futility of war is forgotten and ignored,” they wrote.


Story Code: 43622

News Link :
https://www.islamtimes.org/en/news/43622/celtic-to-ban-fans-over-poppy-protest

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