POLICE TO PROBE âKNIFE AT THROATâ RANGERS TOP PHOTO
[h=4]By Greg Christison [/h]POLICE have launched an investigation after a vile picture of a masked man holding a knife to the throat of a boy in a Rangers football shirt was posted online.
The photograph was uploaded to a Facebook page set up by Celtic fans on Thursday evening, prompting a concerned response from anti-sectarian groups. It shows an individual wearing a Celtic shirt and a balaclava pointing a six-inch blade at the teenagerâs neck, with an Irish tricolor in the background.
The photo and the page on which it appeared â called âZombie Slayersâ, in an apparent reference to Rangers fans â have since been removed from the Internet. The administrator, Ian Plamfton, yesterday insisted the two youths were simply âtwo cousins having a laughâ and said his web page was based on âbanter not hateâ. Following criticism online, he wrote: âI understand the picture was of bad taste and not taken as a joke by everyone.
âI agree the post shouldnât have been made public for all to see, and to be honest shouldnât have been made in the first place, but like I said, these boys that made the picture felt it was funny and they are cousins. Family having a laugh and seeing the funny side of things.
âSince the picture was posted on a page that I set up I have had to take severe action. It was removed as soon as it was brought to my attention and the page has been deleted.â However, Dave Scott, the campaign director of Nil By Mouth, an anti-sectarian charity set up following the stabbing of a young Celtic fan after an Old Firm game, urged police to investigate.
He said: âThis is a sickening display of sectarianism and there can be no justification for posting it or even allowing it to appear on a website. Anyone who thinks this is âbanterâ lives on a different planet.â
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/357510/Police-to-probe-knife-at-throat-Rangers-top-photo
[h=4]By Greg Christison [/h]POLICE have launched an investigation after a vile picture of a masked man holding a knife to the throat of a boy in a Rangers football shirt was posted online.
The photograph was uploaded to a Facebook page set up by Celtic fans on Thursday evening, prompting a concerned response from anti-sectarian groups. It shows an individual wearing a Celtic shirt and a balaclava pointing a six-inch blade at the teenagerâs neck, with an Irish tricolor in the background.
The photo and the page on which it appeared â called âZombie Slayersâ, in an apparent reference to Rangers fans â have since been removed from the Internet. The administrator, Ian Plamfton, yesterday insisted the two youths were simply âtwo cousins having a laughâ and said his web page was based on âbanter not hateâ. Following criticism online, he wrote: âI understand the picture was of bad taste and not taken as a joke by everyone.
âI agree the post shouldnât have been made public for all to see, and to be honest shouldnât have been made in the first place, but like I said, these boys that made the picture felt it was funny and they are cousins. Family having a laugh and seeing the funny side of things.
âSince the picture was posted on a page that I set up I have had to take severe action. It was removed as soon as it was brought to my attention and the page has been deleted.â However, Dave Scott, the campaign director of Nil By Mouth, an anti-sectarian charity set up following the stabbing of a young Celtic fan after an Old Firm game, urged police to investigate.
He said: âThis is a sickening display of sectarianism and there can be no justification for posting it or even allowing it to appear on a website. Anyone who thinks this is âbanterâ lives on a different planet.â
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/357510/Police-to-probe-knife-at-throat-Rangers-top-photo
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