Sectarianism in Scotland

Sectarianism in Scotland has its roots in a football based religious bigotry, mainly in and around the two largest Scottish cities (Edinburgh and Glasgow). Sectarianism started up as a way of life for the Scottish lowlanders when hoards of uninvited Irish immigrants decided to undercut local native Scots working in heavy industry. This caused friction between native Scottish and the immigrant Irish... Although over the generations after the accents faded, the telling sign of the descendant of an 'Irish immigrant' was the religion they followed (Catholicism). Nowadays it is not the actual religion that is discriminated against by the native protestant scot, but rather the football club that is followed by the descendants of the Irish settlers (Celtic FC).

The reasons the native protestants (Huns) have a contention with the Celtic fans (Tims/Fenians), is because never embraced or adopted Scottish culture, indeed they often erroneously think of themselves as Irish. The typical Celtic fans celebrate and sing songs supporting uniting Northern Ireland with the Republican south. They also appear to have a problem with the very country they live in... They hate the UK and Scotland. And even though they fly the tricolour and sing for Irish union, they will never actually leave the UK for their ancestral homeland.

The sociological problem is perpetuated because of the presence of denominational schools. Unlike the native Scots 'Non denominational' schools, the descendants of the catholic migrants stick together in their own bubble of Irish culture within foreign land refusing to integrate with the native Scots... this is the main problem in fighting sectarianism and bigotry in Scotland. Both the native Scottish Protestants and the descendants of the Irish immigrants have a very real concept of 'us' and 'them'. This keeps the sectarianism and the segregation alive, and is now deemed to be normal life in the central belt of Scotland.

Sectarianism in Scotland would not exist if the Old Firm were abolished and all schools were forced to be non-denominational.

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