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The Observer
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/aug/27/religion.scotland
UK news
Storm as goalkeeper pays Sign of the Cross penalty
Scotland inflamed as Celtic player gets legal caution for religious gesture
Lorna Martin, Scotland editor
Sun 27 Aug 2006 00.51 BST
A furious row has erupted after a Celtic footballer was given a formal caution for blessing himself during an Old Firm game. Artur Boruc, the Polish goalkeeper, was accused of inciting violence and angering rival supporters by making the gesture in front of Rangers fans at Ibrox stadium in Glasgow.
The Crown Office’s decision to give him an official warning has provoked a strong reaction, with politicians and church leaders saying it will make Scotland the ‘laughing stock of the world’ as players often cross themselves in football grounds. Boruc was cautioned for a breach of the peace after complaints were made by Rangers fans following the game in February.
The Catholic church has condemned Scottish prosecutors, with spokesman Peter Kearney saying many Catholics would feel subject to persecution following the decision. ‘It’s an alarming development, especially since the Sign of the Cross is globally accepted as a gesture of religious reverence,’ he said. ‘It was commonplace throughout the World Cup. It is extremely regrettable that Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simple religious gesture is considered an offence.’
The Crown Office said a caution was issued as an alternative to prosecution. A spokesman said that as Boruc made the gesture before a crowd in the charged atmosphere of an Old Firm game it constituted a breach of the peace and had ‘provoked alarm’.
But many politicians were also critical. Nationalist leader Alex Salmond said the ‘ludicrous’ move was the type of action which brought the law and legal system into disrepute. ‘The procurator fiscal and the Crown Office are acting in a way that will inflame rather than reduce religious antagonism,’ he said.
Liberal Democrat MSP Donald Gorrie said he felt the situation could have been addressed by talking to Boruc privately. ‘I think they were wrong to focus on the crossing rather than the whole performance, as described to me by quite sensible people who were definitely wound up by it as they were intended to be, and he shouldn’t do that,’ he added.
Neither club has commented on the cautioning, but Eddie Toner, a former general secretary of the Celtic Supporters Association, expressed fury with the club, claiming it had ‘hung Boruc out to dry’.
‘Perhaps those who made the complaint to the police should have a long hard look at themselves, as it seems that it is they who have the sectarian problem,’ he added. ‘The gesture is made by sportsmen and women all over the world, but bizarrely only seems to cause offence here in Scotland.’
However, Rangers Supporters Group said it was ‘disappointing’ Celtic did not take action after the game. Stephen Smith, spokesman for the group, added: ‘Professional footballers are meant to set an example. What he did was deliberately provocative and completely done to wind up the fans.’
The fixture takes place in a highly charged atmosphere and has produced no shortage of controversy. Time, the international news magazine, once described it as 90 minutes of sheer hatred.
Celtic keeper makes Rangers fans cross
https://www.scotsman.com/news/celtic-keeper-makes-rangers-fans-cross-2508492
ARTUR Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper, was at the centre of fresh controversy last night after blessing himself in front of Rangers supporters during yesterday’s Old Firm game.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Dec 2006, 00:00 BST
Television footage showed the Polish internationalist making the sign of the cross as he walked towards his goal at the Copland Road end of Ibrox Stadium before the start of the second half.
A row broke out earlier this year after it emerged that Boruc had been cautioned for making provocative gestures towards Rangers supporters during a match at Ibrox in February.
The controversy prompted the Crown Office to take the unusual step of clarifying that Boruc had not been cautioned for blessing himself, but for other hand gestures he had made in the direction of the home fans.
Last night, a Rangers fans’ spokesman accused the Celtic goalkeeper of trying to incite the crowd by blessing himself during yesterday’s game – which ended 1-1 – and called on the Parkhead club to warn Boruc about his behaviour.
The latest furore comes just days after the Scottish Executive held a summit to look at ways of tackling the problem of religious sectarianism.
John Macmillan, the secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, told The Scotsman: “In normal circumstances, there is nothing wrong with someone blessing themselves.
“But in today’s environment, it is not advisable to do it at a football match.
“I was at the game and although I didn’t see him doing it, I did hear a roar from the Copland Road end before the start of the second half and it was pretty obvious what Boruc had done.
“A couple of the guys who get on my supporters’ bus said they had paid particular attention to him before the game started and they said he hadn’t blessed himself in front of the Celtic supporters. If that’s the case, you really have to ask why he did it at the Rangers end.
“These things shouldn’t really mean an awful lot, but if a player is out to provoke other fans, someone has to do something about it.
“It should be clamped down upon and it’s time the Celtic management advised him not to do this type of thing.”
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police would not comment on whether any supporters had complained about Boruc’s action. “No offence or crime has been committed,” she said.
A Celtic source insisted Boruc had blessed himself before both halves.
A spokesman for the club added: “The police have said they have no problem with Artur Boruc in this regard and neither does Celtic Football Club.”
Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church, said: “It’s my understanding that it’s common practice for Artur Boruc to bless himself before the start of each half. We’re pleased with the reassurances we’ve had that blessing yourself is not deemed to be offensive in any way.”
Eight supporters were arrested at yesterday’s game, three for what police described as “sectarian breach of the peace”.
However, Chief Superintendent Robin Howe, the match commander, praised the behaviour of both sets of fans.
He said: “The drive to eliminate sectarianism from Scottish football continues at a rapid pace and there was a considerable improvement in the behaviour of both sets of fans at today’s match.”
SFA TACKLING SECTARIANISM
POLITICIANS and football authorities joined forces last week to make it clear that sectarianism has no place in Scottish society.
On the day of a summit on the issue organised by the Executive, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) unveiled new measures that could see teams fined and even have points deducted for fans’ sectarian behaviour.
Jack McConnell, the First Minister, also announced that a new body called Football for All would be set up, with the backing of the SFA, to tackle sectarianism in the sport.
The measures have been backed by Celtic and Rangers, who have also been stepping up their efforts recently to stamp out the problem.
David Taylor, the SFA chief executive, said: “Both clubs deserve enormous credit for the work they are doing and we have already seen the Rangers song ‘The Billy Boys’ has been eradicated, certainly from Ibrox. That shows the power of the message, if you get it right.”
Brian Quinn, the Celtic chairman, welcomed the proposed sanctions.
He said: “If you want to apply sanctions that are effective, they have to hurt.
“Money hurts but deducting points hurts even more.”
Officials from both Old Firm clubs were among 100 delegates who attended last week’s summit at Glasgow’s City Halls.
The event heard how Cardinal Keith O’Brien and Alan McDonald, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, plan to attend an Old Firm match together in a sign of religious harmony.
However, Cardinal O’Brien also warned the summit that “institutional sectarianism” still existed in Scotland.
He said that too much focus was being put on football and parades, while scant attention was paid to anti-Catholicism.
Sign of the cross by Celtic goalkeeper ‘was not an offence’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sign-of-the-cross-by-celtic-goalkeeper-was-not-an-offence-413763.html
Legal Affairs Correspondent
,
Robert Verkaik
Tuesday 29 August 2006 00:00
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Prosecutors have taken the unusual step of clarifying the caution given to the Celtic player Artur Boruc after the Catholic Church in Scotland and politicians condemned the decision.
The Crown Office stres-sed that the 26-year-old goalkeeper was not reprimanded for crossing himself during an Old Firm match last season, but for other gestures he had made to the Rangers fans.
Sectarian tensions continue to infiltrate the world of Glasgow football despite the best efforts of the clubs. Rangers have been traditionally associated with Protestant supporters whereas Celtic is regarded by some as a Catholic club.
The first announcement, on Friday, by the Crown Office, that the Polish footballer would be cautioned attracted widespread condemnation. Catholic leaders said that it gave the impression that in Scotland it was an offence to make a religious gesture in public. Alex Salmond, the Scottish National Party leader, accused prosecutors of “taking leave of their senses” , and wrote to the Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC, claiming that the Crown Office had “bungled” the affair.
Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, added her own criticism by saying she was surprised officers had taken action against the Polish player.
The minister, a devout Catholic, said: “I must say I am surprised because this has traditionally been a country which has valued religious diversity and cultural and racial diversity as well and where there has been freedom of expression.”
Dennis Canavan, the Independent member of the Scottish Parliament for Falkirk West, lodged a question in the Scottish Parliament asking the Lord Advocate to publish guidelines to prosecutors outlining “the circumstances, if any, whereby making the sign of the cross may constitute a criminal offence”.
The statement from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, responsible for prosecuting crime in Scotland, said: “We would wish to make it absolutely clear that the prosecution service in Scotland fully respects religious belief and practices and would not countenance formal action against individuals for acts of religious observance, but we would equally make clear that the police and prosecutors cannot ignore conduct which appears to be inciting disorder.”
The Right Rev Joseph Devine, a Catholic bishop in Scotland and communications chief for the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, welcomed the “clarification”. He said: “The statement, that they fully respect religious beliefs and practices and would not countenance formal action against individuals for acts of religious observance, is welcome and reassuring.”
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The incident was not caught on camera, but prosecutors examined witness statements and footage of the crowd’s response.
In May Rangers was fined £13,300 and severely censured by Uefa, the European football governing body, over sectarian chanting by their supporters during the away leg of a Champions League tie against Villarreal in Spain.
Sectarian game
* DONALD FINDLAY In 1999 the QC resigned as vice-chairman of Rangers after he was caught on video singing ‘The Billy Boys’, a sectarian song, after the Rangers v Celtic Scottish Cup Final. He was also fined £3,500 by the Faculty of Advocates.
* PAUL GASCOIGNE In 1995, the Rangers midfielder provoked controversy in an Old Firm match as he mimicked playing the flute, to the fury of many Celtic supporters who saw the act as a loyalist symbol. Gascoigne, who claimed that he was unaware of the significance, was disciplined by the Scottish Football Association.
* MARK SCOTT The Celtic fan was stabbed to death in 1995, while wearing a Celtic shirt near a pub full of Rangers fans.