The Green Brigade holds Palestinian flags during the Champions League match between Celtic and Atlético Madrid Photo: SNS Group/Rob Casey
Their Resistance Victory Banner as Hamas carried out a massacre in Israel angered millions of spectators but surprised few at Celtic Park.
The Green Brigade, a group of radical anti-establishment campaigners, have been “proudly” pushing their luck with incendiary gestures for years. Examples stretch back almost to the group's formation in 2006, with flags sympathetic to the IRA and regular barbs at football authorities.
However, in recent months the Green Brigade's mantra of “until the last rebel” has tested the limits of acceptability, as never before.
Green Brigade's Free Palestine and Resistance Victory Banners condemned by Celtic
With Celtic fans so often at the center of controversy these days, moderate supporters wince as gestures become increasingly personal.
After the Queen's death last year, pre-match commemorations were disrupted by a banner reading: “If you hate the royal family, clap your hands.”
Celtic fans' tribute to the late Queen Photo: PA/Steve Welsh 
Celtic fined £42,000 over IRA hunger striker fan banner Bobby Sands. : Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images
Then, in February, the self-proclaimed “politically conscious” group sent an obscene message to Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, a registered judge who was leading the line. “Var decision: Douglas Ross is an asshole,” their sign read.
There was laughter in the stands, but many in green and white that day now privately condemn the stunt, this time siding with the furious judges. “I was there with my mum,” says Alasdair Murdoch, who was in the stand for the match against St Mirren. “This sign was too big. Mum hasn't been to Celtic Park since. That’s not what football is about.”
Other campaigns involving the group in recent years have targeted police and illustrate how the gang has potentially influenced club membership recruitment. There were immediate protests in the autumn of 2021 over rumors that then Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins had been hired as a security guard at the club. A banner on the terrace with his photograph read: “His evil eyes have no place in heaven.”
On 17 December 2021, Higgins confirmed that he would not be joining Celtic. Other anti-police sentiment from fans over the years includes the message: “Police Scotland is institutionally racist and discriminatory.”
Does the Green Brigade protect the soul of Celtic?
Following the events of October 7 and the cries of anti-Semitism, Roddy Forsyth, a leading Scottish football journalist, describes a feeling that “a line had been crossed”. The crew was suspended from matches for the last two weeks. But with further disruption caused by the absence of the group during Remembrance Sunday celebrations at the weekend, the 1967 European Cup winners still face a difficult task as the club tries to restore calm.
“You can see a pattern here,” says Forsyth, a former BBC broadcaster and Scottish football correspondent for the Telegraph for 30 years. The Green Brigade see themselves in many ways as the “guardians of the soul of Celtic”. Perhaps others see it differently.”
The Green Brigade have openly supported Palestine throughout their 17 years at Celtic Park. As a club drawn from the Irish Catholic diaspora in Scotland, there is an open association and pro-Palestinian flags predate the brigade's formation.
The group was initially warmly received by the club's wider fan base, creating a much-needed atmosphere as of how the team was adjusting to the new 60,000-capacity stadium. The raucous singing coming from the old Jungle section standing on the center line was sorely missed.
As the new group settled into the North Curve section of Celtic Park, their organized choreographed performances, known as “tiphos”, became their trademark.
Banner in memory of former player and manager Billy McNeil Photo: PA/Ian Rutherford
However, a brigade of 1,000 Celtic fans will soon also align themselves with Irish republicanism and the Palestinian cause, which, in their opinion, it corresponds to the traditions of the club.
The group is as suspicious of authority as it is of authority. any other fan base in the UK. According to the group's own website, the Green Brigade is “very difficult for fans to join” and members often hide their identities and have their faces blurred in photos posted online.
Celtic chiefs knew as soon as the flags were raised last month that the club would face a fine. When the Green Brigade showed support for Palestine in a match against Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2016, UEFA criticized the club for displaying “illegal banners”.
On this occasion, the wider fan base supported the Brigade's campaign to raise funds to support charities in Palestine: more than £175,000 was raised to fund the establishment of the Aida Celtic football team in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.
However, the current scandal is a major setback for fans keen to make sure all Jock Stein stands still. There are currently just under 3,000 seats in the standing area, most of which are occupied by the crew. The group's goal was to create a Celtic End similar to Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Arena. However, since Section 111 at the stadium was temporarily closed in 2013 after safety warnings were repeatedly ignored in 2013, the likelihood of an expansion of the area now appears minimal.
Celtic fans decide to boo and ignore the minute's silence in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for freedom 🤦♂️pic.twitter.com/T9OGwVy5Cq
— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) November 12, 2023
The club continues to point to security concerns, saying its concerns about the brigade extend beyond pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including the group handing out thousands of flags to fans as they arrived for various matches. The club also accused the crew of causing hot spots at Easter Road in Hibernian, and stewards were threatened and intimidated.
Other problems include fans attempting to break into Celtic Park for the Champions League match against Lazio and fireworks displays at Feyenoord. UEFA has since fined the club twice for a pyrotechnics display in the Netherlands and an “anti-fascist” banner containing “offensive” language towards Lazio in Italian. An email sent to members of the group by the club criticized the “unacceptable behaviour”, adding that “the safety of all fans at Celtic Park is of paramount importance and against the backdrop of these serious safety concerns the club believes that such immediate action, although and are regrettable but necessary.”
The Green Brigade warns of a 'day of action'
However, the Brigade is striking back in the battle to win the hearts and minds of the club's huge base of supporters. The 267 season ticket holders registered as members of the Green Brigade are warning of a “day of action” if the dispute with the club is not “satisfactorily resolved”.
In a statement, the group, which declined to answer Telegraph Sport's questions, said it “makes little sense to continue this online game of tennis with statements, which was initiated by the PLC board and which it continues to drag out by repeating the same disingenuous allegations that we already talked.”
It added: “We note that the PLC board states that it is open to dialogue and engagement. We would like to remind you that we have been waiting for a meeting with chief executive Michael Nicholson since the summer.”
Meanwhile, among those close to the negotiations, there is no doubt that Celtic have no choice but to keep the brigade locked up while the war rages.
After reports of Free Palestine were delayed, the club was selected for attack by Israel coach Alon Hazan. He branded their fans as anti-Semitic, which caused a strong reaction from the club.
However, Celtic have Israeli international Liel Abada out injured and has already been urged by his team-mates to leave the Scottish champions. After discussions with the club, as well as Brendan Rodgers, he is said to have been reassured by the club's position.
However, while Abada has maintained a dignified silence, others believe the Brigade should consider doing the same to avoid undermining the work they had previously done to raise money for Palestinian refugees. Andy Walker, the former Celtic striker, and Forsyth point to a “real layer” of fans who may be willing to put politics aside when attending games.
Walker acknowledged the fundraising efforts but also told Go Radio: “I have to say I couldn’t be less interested in someone’s politics when I’m at the football.”
Forsyth added: “To be fair, the group did a great fundraiser.”
The Brigade will have to calm down from its radical instincts “until the last riot” in order to have a good chance of returning to the Northern Curve. in the coming weeks.
Recent Comments