That Ol’ Free Speech Thing Again
26 August 2006 by Sean
(Thanks to Simon for this one.)
Celtic player gets police caution
Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been cautioned for a breach of the peace by police for blessing himself in an Old Firm match at Ibrox in February.
The Crown Office said the procurator fiscal had issued the caution as an alternative to prosecution.
A spokesman explained that Boruc’s actions “included a combination of behaviour before a crowd in the charged atmosphere of an Old Firm match”.
And that the Polish keeper’s behaviour had “provoked alarm and crowd trouble”.
And…
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church, said the move to caution Boruc was “regrettable”.
He said: “It’s a worrying and alarming development, especially since the sign of the cross is globally accepted as a gesture of religious reverence.
“It’s also very common in international football and 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 simply religious gesture is considered an offence.”
Hey, man. I support the guy’s right to drink the blood of a goat if that’s what gets his game on.
I just wonder if it occurs to anyone that some progressive nations that have been under the yoke of this medieval shite for hundreds of years might actually be getting fed up with it all.
Seems Scotland is to some extent.
Still, does it not again offend free speech? Just telling people to shut the fuck up? There is, I think, a fundamental difference here between how Europeans and Americans view these rights.
26 August 2006, on 9:36 am
I agree that it seems contrary to principles of freedom of speech. However I would add that the Celtic and Rangers football clubs have been making serious efforts to eliminate sectarian violence. So yes it seems that something is being done to aleviate the medeival shite (as you so rightly call it). What this chap did was absolutely stupid and only would incite a section of violent Ranger’s fans. He did not excercise his freedom of speech. He performed a outward display of a religious ritual that could have easily been done in the team dressing room if he feels the need. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he did not do it to incite violence. But like most Christians, it’s only good if it’s done in everyone else’s face.
I wonder what Catholic leaders would be crying had the Rangers goaltender come out wearing a non-uniform bright orange jersey singing “Croppies lie down?” I am sure a complaint would have been made and the same result.
Religion needs to be kept out of sport especially in places where it tends to incite violence. Do they believe that there is a god that gives a shit about football? Too bad some people do. Imagine if something similar was done to incide the crowd at a cricket match between Hindus and Moslems! I shudder to contemplate the violence.
26 August 2006, on 9:52 am
So there is such sectarian hatred there that just crossing himself– feels pretty darn innocuous to me — could have gotten a riot going?
26 August 2006, on 10:19 am
Oogie-boogie superstitious crap is often seen by sports figures, actors, etc. like “rituals” baseball players have before pitching or going to bat, etc. I look at someone crossing themselves as just another one of those goofy personal superstitions and no big deal as long as they aren’t having a mass moment of prayer or religious hymn sing-alongs.
26 August 2006, on 10:33 am
As usual, things aren’t always what they seem. What he did isn’t quite as simple as just crossing himself like a Good Little Catholic.
Rangers and Celtic are historically associated with Scotland’s Catholic and Protestant communities. He crossed himself not to express his religious freedom but to piss off the Protestant Rangers fans, according to eyewitneses. That’s why he got his knuckles rapped. Since I’m sure I don’t have to say what happens when Catholics and Protestants get pissed off with each other, it was pretty irresponsible for a supposedly “professional” player.
I think this blog squeezes the truth out of it far better than I can:
The Catholic church are, as usual, just playing the victim card. They should be telling him off as well for irresponsible use of their holy symbol, or something like that.
26 August 2006, on 10:34 am
Oops, didn’t mean to make that last sentence a link! But that IS the link to Mr. Eugenides blog I was trying to insert…
26 August 2006, on 12:42 pm
I’ve got to agree with Star, big, fat, hairy fucking deal. In the heyday of the Big Red Machine, shortstop Davey Concepcion used to cross himself before stepping into the batter’s box. At that stage, it’s become more of a ritual, more OCD than RCC if you will. Much ado about nada.
26 August 2006, on 12:49 pm
I agree with you Raindog…only difference was you didn’t have fans on each side of the ballpark that would kill each other at the sight of his little superstitious ritual. Things are different in Glasgow with Ranger and Celtic fan(atic)s…..
26 August 2006, on 1:36 pm
Good point, Bob, we, there at Riverfront Stadium, were all united in our hatred for the LA Dodgers. I guess I never realized that the Catholic/Protestant enmity- that I was aware of in Ireland, extended above Hadrian’s Wall.
26 August 2006, on 1:41 pm
“Rangers and Celtic are historically associated with Scotland’s Catholic and Protestant communities. He crossed himself not to express his religious freedom but to piss off the Protestant Rangers fans, according to eyewitneses.”
Thanks for explaining that, MJ, because I have to admit I wondered why the big deal? In all the sports movies I’ve seen, they’re always prayin’ and crossing themselves ‘n shit. But this is apparently a goad, not a personal good luck ritual. But is the latter still bilge? Oh, yeah.
26 August 2006, on 2:27 pm
Freedom of speech has it’s limits, I wouldn’t defend anyone’s right to shout ‘FIRE!’ in a crowded, enclosed space.
26 August 2006, on 2:58 pm
Next thing you know they won’t even be allowed to say things like “fuck you, you stupid fuking asshole” And then where will we be.
26 August 2006, on 3:18 pm
Shouting “fire” causes an onset of panic, which is an emotional state I know no human who can control it effectively. However, the emotions of anger and hatred — both quite controllable — is what is being incited with this religious gesture. By banning an act that incites a particular emotional reaction, the Scots are endorsing the emotion as unavoidable and as part of the human condition.
As stupid as the player’s gesture may seem, doesn’t the protestant spectators who feel they have the right to get violent over it, seems to be the far more ridiculous? Intolerance is the “problem” that needs to be addressed here. Doesn’t the banning of the religious gesture, rather than the reaction of anger, merely endorse intolerance as the “accepted” behavior?
26 August 2006, on 5:59 pm
From the “Why can’t we all just get along” category.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFVxpgGAohk
26 August 2006, on 6:27 pm
Godsarefake, yeah, with freedom comes responsibility. The Pole has the right to do his little ritual just as the Jyllends newspaper had the right to publish those silly mohammered cartoons. And while reasonable people might be expected to take the offense to their religious sensibilities in stride, both the fundie Muslims and, in this case, the fundie Prods have proven anything but reasonable. So, the responsibility falls to the footballer or the editor to make the good sense call- to wit, not to print, not to cross oneself. Certainly, the Prods have the responsibility to keep their anger in check here and I’m not saying everyone else should have to bite their tongues to coddle the fundies’ delusions, just that the reality of an overheated mob- which also applies to the Arab street at this moment in history, demands tact.
26 August 2006, on 7:06 pm
There’s a similar, though to a lesser extent, problem in Edinburgh with Hibs and Hearts. Hibees (short for Hibernian): catholic; Jambos (Heart of Midlothian): protestant. At one time, the city busses were painted in the football colours, but the green busses got taken over and now only the maroon and cream Hearts colours can be seen decorating Princes street.
The sectarianism gets worse the further west you go, reflecting the distribution of the irish immigration. Even where I live, just outside Edinburgh, most of the football jumpers I see (a traditional Scottish mode of dress) are Rangers blue.
There are occasional Orange marches in the area, but they don’t impinge much on the consciousness.
I loathe football by the way.
26 August 2006, on 7:50 pm
[...] That Ol’ Free Speech Thing Again [...]
27 August 2006, on 8:47 am
Reminds me of the joke: How can you tell an atheist in Glasgow? He’s the one at the Rangers/Celtic match to watch the football….
27 August 2006, on 1:38 pm
So we’ve summed this one up.
Sport rivalry, sectarian hatred. Same shit, different uniforms. Or sometimes the same uniforms.
So let’s talk all their guns away and let them kick the shit out of each other in rugby matches.
27 August 2006, on 1:41 pm
Oh, wait. Even better. Let’s introduce them to American football … Without any body armor.