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demagogic_schizoid
13 Jun 2007, 12:39 PM
These people still behave as if it were the 16th century. Ridiculous.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23400096-details/Galloway+'kicked+and+taunted+in+sectarian+attack'/article.do


'Attack': George Galloway claims he was the target of sectarians
Respect MP George Galloway claimed today that he was kicked and taunted during an unprovoked sectarian attack.

A group of six men threatened and almost pushed him on to a luggage carousel after arriving at Glasgow Airport yesterday, he said.

The former Glasgow Kelvin Labour MP believes he was targeted by men returning from an Orange Walk in London for being a known Celtic supporter.

He told the Daily Record: "There was one guy I would describe as a ringleader who said 'I don't like your radio talk, I don't like your newspaper talk, I have a religious duty to knock you down'."

Police confirmed they are investigating the alleged assault and studying CCTV footage.

The Bethnal Green and Bow MP had arrived from London on a British Midland flight to give a talk at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall.

The MP has a high media profile and, along with appearing on last year's Celebrity Big Brother, hosts a TalkSport radio phone-in.

Mr Galloway said the "terrifying experience" began on the plane after he was recognised and a group of men began taunting and threatening him.

"They were referring to me as a 'Fenian b ' and 'f Fenian scumbag' and other vile names and threatening to attack me when I got to Glasgow," he added.

"I had a feeling of dread. I hurried off the plane and got to the luggage carousel as quickly as possible and prayed my bag would come first but, of course, it didn't.

"The group came up behind me and they were straight in with the sectarian insults and threats."

He went on to say: "I felt one man kick me on one ankle and I was then kicked on the other ankle.

"The next thing I knew, I was bounced in the back by someone's belly and virtually knocked on to the carousel itself."

Mr Galloway said that by the time he complained to the police, a separate complaint had been made by a traffic warden about a group of men shouting sectarian slogans outside.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said today that an incident at Glasgow Airport was being investigated.

She added: "We can confirm we have received a complaint from Mr Galloway and inquiries are ongoing."

Ferrus
13 Jun 2007, 04:28 PM
I suspect it was more misguided football hooliganism than genuine sectarian hatred as in Northern Ireland.

demagogic_schizoid
13 Jun 2007, 04:38 PM
I suspect it was more misguided football hooliganism than genuine sectarian hatred as in Northern Ireland.

They were on the plane back from an Orange Order Parade in N.Ireland.

I don't think you can seperate sectarian hatred from football in Scotland. The Rangers firm is tied to Combat 18 and Paramilitaries/the drugs trade in N.Ireland. Pretty much whenever Celtic play Rangers there are related murders in Glasgow or Belfast. You even see Rangers supporters attending games with Israeli flags, while the Celtic supporters wave Palestinian flags.

The ironic thing is that when Rangers played in Israel, pretty much their entire section of the ground stood up and gave a mass Nazi salute.

Ferrus
13 Jun 2007, 04:43 PM
Yes, I heard. Liverpool still has these sectarian echoes too, albeit far less strong.

demagogic_schizoid
13 Jun 2007, 04:50 PM
True also. In the old days, Everton were the Catholic community's side, and Liverpool for the Protestants. The city of Liverpool, I think, but you surely know more beuing a history student, provided a lot of right-wing support due to dislike of Irish immigrants...I believe the Tories were quite strong there due to being the party of the Union etc.? but now I think it's pretty much a thing of the past; as my old man said, "a scouser is an Irishman who can swim". I don't know if there are any scousers left without some Irish blood. And as for the tories...they don't have a single councillor in Liverpool today.

As opposed to Glasgow which seems to have kept the communities quite distinct.

Ferrus
13 Jun 2007, 04:55 PM
Well, I had a Scouser politics tutor, and he was most certainly of the opinion that Liverpool has never quite reconcilled itself as a 'English' city and that in the 1980's there was a degree of sympathy for the IRA.

demagogic_schizoid
13 Jun 2007, 06:38 PM
he's correct. I was on there on the anniversary of Bobby Sands death, and it was a big occassion. It's still the only city I know where even the cab drivers are left wing.