The behaviour of Rangers fans who gathered in Glasgow yesterday to celebrate their club's first title win in 10 years has been branded "shameful" by John Swinney.
The Deputy First Minister slammed supporters who congregated outside Ibrox Stadium and in Glasgow city centre on Sunday in breach of Scotland's tough lockdown rules.
Speaking at the Scottish Government's regular media briefing today, Swinney thanked fans "who celebrated at home and followed the rules".
But he took aim at Rangers officials for not using the club's social media platforms to appeal for supporters to go home and not gather outdoors.
“I think it would have been the duty of Rangers to say clearly and simply to fans that they shouldn’t have come out to celebrate and when they did they should have gone home," he said.
“The silence from Rangers was deafening – that’s a matter of profound regret.
“If the club, on a day which I acknowledge is a day of joy for the club, had said to its fans to follow restrictions which are in place – like every other citizen – and had gone home and avoided the crowded scenes that we had outside Ibrox and in George Square.
“The messaging of that type from the club I think could have helped to diffuse the situation and crucially to disperse the crowds."
Swinney continued: "The behaviour of some fans has been an absolute disgrace and has undoubtedly cast a shadow over what should have been a special day for the team.
"The success we have had in recent weeks in reducing case numbers is because so many people across Scotland have stuck to extremely tough rules, which are designed to stop the spread of the virus.
"To see so many people deliberately flouting these rules, with no regard to the safety of others, is shameful. Events like yesterday risk spreading the virus. And they show no respect at all for the millions of people across Scotland who have been sticking to the rules."
Fans packed into George Square and gathered outside Ibrox Stadium after Rangers took their first top-flight title in 10 years.
Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday the “infuriating and disgraceful” scenes could jeopardise plans to ease the coronavirus restrictions and urged Rangers to ask people to go home.
Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, said: “Despite the coronavirus regulations and the prohibition of gatherings, our officers were faced with a very difficult set of circumstances as many thousands of supporters gathered to celebrate across a number of different venues.
“Our priority was public safety and this included reducing the risk of disorder, road safety and effective crowd management among the complexities of a vociferous crowd. This included established crowd control measures to prevent serious disorder in multiple areas and protect the public.
“An appropriate policing response was in place throughout the day and officers continually engaged and encouraged compliance with coronavirus regulations.
“Over the course of the day a number of minor injuries were sustained by members of the public, some of which were as a result of intoxication.”
In a statement, a spokesman for Rangers said: "During the last number of weeks, Rangers can confirm that we initiated open dialogue with key stakeholders in relation to the possibility of us achieving a historic 55th league title.
"We have proactively engaged with our local MP, the Justice Minister, the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the SPFL in relation to maintaining a cohesive message regarding public safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We understand the jubilance of our support across the world who recognise this has been a historic year for the club.
"Nevertheless, it has been of great frustration for all football fans across the world that they have not been able to watch their team within stadiums, especially for the loyal Rangers season-ticket holders who have stood by this football club through thick and thin in the last decade.
"We reiterate the message from our manager, Steven Gerrard, who highlighted that fans should adhere to government guidelines – stay safe, socially distance and look after each other in this difficult time.
"We are aware there is the possibility of more, significant milestones within this season, and we will continue to proactively engage with key stakeholders to maintain a cohesive message in relation to government guidance at this present time.
"We look forward to further open dialogue with the government, police, SPFL and other key stakeholders."
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