Scottish Catholic Observer

The first legislation of the new SNP government will introduce harsher penalties for anyone engaging in sectarian behaviour at a football match or online, with the guilty facing up to five years in jail under new proposals.

The move comes after a recent surge in sectarian incidents, with leading Catholics targeted by parcel bombs.

Sentencing

The SNP Government plans to bring in the new laws to crack down on bigotry in the wake of recent incidents. The new proposals would cover behaviour that is threatening, abusive, disorderly or offensive, with a maximum jail term of five years as opposed to the current one year maximum for breach of the peace. Online hate crime, including posting comments on social networking sites or fan forums, will also be included in the legislation and would carry the same punishment.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that though some might see the new measures as ‘draconian,’ he believed they were necessary.

“It is unacceptable to carry out sectarian disorder at a football ground or indeed to peddle sectarian hate over the internet or by tweeting,” he said. “Strong action will be taken. It will be enforced because we cannot go on as we are. This is not a victimless crime.”

Catholic reaction

Peter Kearney, director of the Catholic Media Office, said the proposals were a positive step but further action was needed. “As the Scottish Parliament reconvenes, for the first time ever with a majority Government, we have a window of opportunity for action,” he said. “We must seize the chance to adopt an ‘evidence-based’ approach from now on. When the Crown Office produced an analysis of sectarian crime in 2006 the detail was instructive.

“If conviction statistics show that Catholics are still six times more likely to suffer sectarian attacks then targeted action with the support of the Catholic community must be the response. If the data continues to reveal that 85 per cent of sectarian crime is not football related then the ‘football summits’ should end and the incessant focus on club’s behaviour should change to a wider review of society and the development of a truly respectful culture of religious tolerance.”

Sectarian incidents

Last week two men appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court charged with dispatching explosive substances and hoax bombs after suspect packages were sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon and two prominent supporters of the club.

A man also appeared in court in Edinburgh charged with assault after an attack on Mr Lennon at Tynecastle stadium during Celtic’s game against Hearts.

Police were also called to Celtic Park in Glasgow after a suspect package believed to have contained a bullet and addressed to Mr Lennon was found.

Cowdenbeath Football Club Chairman Donald Findlay QC, who has previously been filmed singing anti-Catholic songs, was also sent a suspicious package this week but police said it was not dangerous.

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Jim Murphy: ‘I was assaulted because of my Catholic Faith’

Jim Murphy, the former Labour Scottish Secretary, has said he received anti-Catholic abuse while campaigning during the recent Scottish Parliament  elections.

Mr Murphy, the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire, is a prominent Catholic who played a key role in organising last year’s Papal visit. He said he had been the target of bigoted abuse from the public while on the campaign trail for the party ahead of the May 5 vote.

“The only abuse I’ve ever had in elections isn’t about my policy, isn’t about the Labour Party’s record,” he said.

“Just in the last few weeks, there’s something particular going on when I got assaulted because of my Faith and because I’m pretty public about my Faith; it’s not a secret. So for people to shout at you in the street, simply because of the Faith that you follow, I think it is a throwback to a dark period. Scotland should be pretty clear this is a shameful, dark underbelly of our culture.”

Though Mr Murphy went on to say he believed sectarianism was only practised by a tiny minority of Scots, he believes it would take a real effort from across Scottish culture to weed it out. “It is downright ignorance, it’s violence,” he said. “It’s fuelled by drink but the government in Scotland, with support from all of us, has to get on top of it. Warm words from politicians won’t fix this problem.”