The Herald group has sacked Angela Haggerty.
The toiling Glasgow based broadsheet, which sold an average of less than 35,000 copies between January and June 2015, made the decision after she had tweeted her support for Graham Spiers.
On Wednesday the Herald issued an apology after an article by Spiers had claimed that one of the current Sevco directors had told him that he found the anti-catholic Billy Boys a great song.
During the Sevco v Hibs match on December 28, broadcast by BT Sport and Radio Scotland, The Billy Boys was being sung by thousands of supporters from all four stands at Ibrox.
As well as speaking up in support of a fellow journalist it seems that Haggerty’s ‘crime’ was editing Phil MacGiollabhain best selling book ‘Downfall’.
After joining the independence supporting Sunday Herald last year she has come in for increased attacks on social media with little apparent backing from her employers or Police Scotland.
Reacting to her sacking she told Bella Caledonia: “The irony of this happening less than a week after my column about intimidation at the hands of Rangers fans is just beyond belief and I’m feeling quite upset about the whole thing tonight. I’ve been sacked simply for expressing support for a fellow journalist. They’ve just reinforced the mob mentality.
“I’m deeply saddened and disappointed by this decision. This is a very dark day for freedom of the press in Scotland. This dangerously reinforces the behaviour of all of those who have targeted me since 2012 with racist and misogynistic abuse, as well as more sinister threats and harassment. At times I genuinely fear for my safety in this environment.
“The only positive that can come from this is for all of us to respond with an even louder message: we will not be intimidated, we will not be silenced and these campaigns of harassment have no place in Scotland. It has gone on for far too long.”
Earlier this month Newsquest, which owns the four titles, Herald, Sunday Herald, Evening Times and The National announced plans to axe 25 jobs, the fourth round of redundancies in just over a year.
Orange Scotland strikes again, a sectarian, bigoted cesspit that serves one culture.
We are all Angela Haggerty!
Agree that’s why I left years ago and it’s getting worse HH
We know who the moronic group involved in this are. To involve the wider community in this is just as stupid as they are.
Well I hope that gutless rag is circling the drain right now. Propaganda rags will be a thing of the past within 5 years.
Test
McLaughlin, Spence,Spiers, Heggarty, where are the NUJ in all this? Are they happy to sit back and watch their members losing there positions,being barred from carrying out their jobs and being physically and emotionally abused by a bunch of bigoted , racist morons who disagree with any criticism directed at them or their club. After the way their previous club behaved you would think their new club would be a little more humble in their actions and deeds , but it seems they are even more arrogant and abrasive than before. ! SFA you have a lot to answer for !!!
I’ve always found the herald to be the best of a bad bunch but the stuff that has gone on in the past couple of weeks is not on
Hit them where it hurts. They have a massive presence online in sites like Facebook and they do track the number of followers etc. I have just unliked and unfollowed and would encourage anyone else do do likewise.
I for one hope enough of the public get behind Angela to make people sit up and take notice of this trampling all over free speech , all done at the behest and will of a section of people who have a fanatical belief system , when challenged they strike out with aggression be it political or otherwise.
This expression of fascism/racism found in the b/boys song is hopefully on the wane as people become more educated, well I live in hope and pray for them.
I urge all true football fans to cease buying all red tops in Scotland.
This is a disgrace what has happened to Angela Haggerty and also Graham Speirs.
All the red tops are doing their upmost to keep everything possible to help keep the Rangers myth alive and kicking,they don’t mind if the Knuckle dragging Sevco fans singing their bigoted bile and threatening Anyone who dares to raise any truths that they won’t accept.
Even Strathclydes finest are approaching journalists to tell them not to write the truth as they are going to be targeted and them and their families will be attacked.
If Strathclyde’s finest know this,they shouldn’t be parching the journalists.they should be apprehending the people making these threats,they must know who they are as they are the new telling the journalists theat they are being threatened.
It’s time these hugs were made an example of.
What an embarrassment of a bigted footballing media and police force we have in this Scotland’s shame .
HAIL HAIL YNWA
Looks like the HUN population in Scotland is STUCK in the 16th & 17th Century……..But that’s what Happens when your Dragged up instead of being Brought up properly.
Angela Haggerty showing more balls than the combined males of Herald editors and senior staff.
Willie Maley said “It’s not the creed nor his nationality that counts. It’s the man himself.” How long for a seed like this to germinate in sunny Scotland?
You’d think Rangers would welcome any news about them. Lets them pretend they’re as relevant as they used to be.
Spiers, as much as I like the guy, supports the discrimination and criminalisation of Celtic and Sevco fans. Just because someone sings the Billy boys doesn’t mean they actually hate Catholics. Likewise, just because a Celtic fan sings an Irish rebel song doesn’t mean they truly hate Protestants. Actually, the rivalry between fans is very little to do with religion. No leet me correct that, its NOTHING to do with religion. Educated people like Spiers should know that religion is incidental. There is no denying though that the songs are political but those who say sport is no place for politics really need to first ask themselves what constitutes a political or hateful song. Most national anthems have reference to historical wars/murder including our own. Thats before we consider the array of things we hold a minutes silence for. So lets not be hypocritical, politics is ingrained in sport. Indeed it is ingrained in the emblems of many clubs shirts, so lets cut the shit.
If it was up to people like Spiers, there would be no Irish rebel songs and no Billy boys. I don’t particularly like the Billy boys but what a boring old firm game that would be if neither of us could sing songs to try and annoy each other. The thing is,the only people that get really annoyed about it are the overly sensitive pompus pretentious pc brigade. Don’t get me wrong, there are some twisted bitter bigotted fans on either side but they are a tiny minority not worthy of much attention. Most fans on either side get on very well after the game. During the game is a different matter but thats part of the hyped up pantomime atmosphere. For most normal people, it is just banter. For the SNP and journalists like Spiers, it warrants sending people to jail for singing so called “sectarian” songs. Not only is this a bit harsh but given there is NO LEGAL DEFINITION in Scotland of “SECTARIANISM”, then it seems imposing such measures is always going to be done rather inconsistently and unfairly.
What we are talking about here is snobbery, nothing more, nothing less. Football is the only sport where fans are disallowed to sit with a pint at games, unless of course they have enough money to get a fancy corporate seat, in which case they are suddenly trusted not to get pissed and cause a riot. Lets be clear, Scottish football and in particular, Celtic, does not have a problem with hooliganism yet our fans are increasingly subject to a greater number of invasive searches before games and now they want to use facial recognition scanners to keep an eye on everyone. What next, finger printing, retinal scans and DNA analysis? And why exactly are they turning football stadiums into some sort of Orwellian state? Songs. In a nutshell, a few pompus pretentious oversensitive souls, don’t like Celtic fans singing Irish rebel songs and they don’t like Sevco fans singing Billy boys. Theres also a minor problem with a few dafties firing of flares. If it wasn’t for the possibility that these could cause harm to someone, I would say they add to the atmosphere but again, its schoolboy shit which just requires a wee bit of education and a WEE bit of monitoring and discipline. But we don’t need to send in the riot squads.
I couldn’t care less what Sevco fans sing. Let them sing what they want and let Celtic fans sing what we want. This sort of us v them rubbish is actually more likely to cause hate. Leave us all be Mr Spiers and co. That said, I don’t think anyone should lose their job over supporting what he said. It is probably not fair to have made him apologise for stating his opinion either. He thinks anyone who sings the Billy boys is a bigot. I’m a Celtic fan and I disagree. I think it depends on who is singing it, just as it does for Celtic fans singing rebel songs. It doesn’t always mean we hate each other. Usually, its just a bit of banter and I wish all these middle class do gooders would just chill the fuck out.
Paul, couldn’t you just have said most are 90 minute bigots, I need to lie down lol. HH
Paul, you are so wrong! It’s about decency and respect. Do you really believe it is the right atmosphere for our youth to watch the game?
You Sir are a star
Tell that to Neil LENNON under attack on and off the field his crime being a successful Roman Catholic from N Ireland managing Celtic unwilling to back down from bullets bombs and attacks from behind it’s only a small minority of Billy boy singing Rangers Fans, but boy there mega dangerous . HH
Your totally right, as I posted in another site this morning I stated that even the referees got on the bandwagon, by threatening strike action unless Lennon had his wings clipped, yet others escaped his level of scrutiny.
I do not know where you were brought up but to say that religion is incidental is inaccurate and in IMO naive
In Scottish society in general it is very important never mind just Football.
The initial questions when meeting someone new,social or business, is to find out what religion you are, even your name brands you sometimes without any questions( First name or Surname).
It does not matter it you are a practicing Christian or not.
Where else in the World (except Northern Ireland)does that happen and don”t tell me that does not happen regularly
It is not School boy shit,when it affects your ability to make a living,live without fear and your social standing in the community.
What Team do you support,what school did you go to, what foot do you kick with?.
It is all just a bit of banter. Aye right ask Neil Lennon
nonsense
That’s pish.
Rubbish There is a big difference from singing Irish Rebel songs which do not have any hatred towards Protestants, some of the greatest Irish rebels were Protestant for heavens sake, but you seem to have missed that point preferring instead to finish your piece by blaming the middle class do gooders, and there by changing the argument into what you want to see as a issue of class as for singing the billy boys and being up to our knees in Fenian blood, being a bit of banter, tell that to those who have been stabbed and killed after a game by these bit of banter people, but if they were singing about killing homosexuals or such you would be outraged.
You will no doubt be a atheist, ex catholic, a hater of Christianity and a hated of the concept of God, more commonly known as a left wing looney, who sees those “few dafties” who are going to do some real damage to someone as a minor problem, that is your choice, you are welcome to support Celtic, we accept all regardless of faith or none, but please think before you put pen to paper, when you see songs of pure hated as just being a bit of banter.
Then again maybe because you are still relatively young and have not experienced a lot yet
Up to our knees in feinian blood does mean hatred for catholics
PM
Your comments are utter tripe and don’t address/acknowledge the problem we have here.
Two people have been removed from their jobs, one for writing, what he considers an honest appraisal of a situation he found himself in and the other for supporting his right to do so.
They weren’t sacked because their employers thought they were wrong. They were sacked because the bigoted officials/supporters of sevco put pressure on the company to do so and they capitulated to these bigots.
Do you still think there is nothing wrong with this situation?
Regardless of whether you agree with Spiers’ views or not, that is not the point.
What we are seeing is mob rule and intimidation influencing decisions taken by Scottish institutions, including the media, football authorities, political parties and the Police.
Time for decent people everywhere to take a stand against these neo nazi thugs.
Burke’s admonition that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing has never been more apposite and urgent than in 21st century Scotland.
Yes Tony,in a nutshell!
I have had The National delivered since the first Issue, I’m cancelling Monday.
Shamefull act from this newspaper and should be condemned from every quarter.
Basically condoning the behaviour of bigots ,deary me.
Would love to know the source of ‘ severe pressure ‘ that Speirs mentioned that apparently forced the Herald into to the apology they printed in regards to his opinion piece.
Thank god I left that bigoted country 50 years ago, nothing has changed and probably never will.
Paul I went to Ibrox as an away fan and my 9 year old son had a cup of coffee thrown in his face by a Rangers fan. Is that included in your idea of harmless banter and winding up the opposition?
Am I being overly sensitive, pompous and politically correct to believe that I should be able to take my son to a football game without him being assaulted by the opposition fans? Do I need to toughen up and tell him it’s just banter and say that’s just the way life is wee man? Do we as parents try to make the world a better place for our children or do we let them wallow in our mire of bigotry and dismiss it as harmless banter because it only happens during the 90 minutes of a football game?
If it does only happen during the 90 minutes of a football game, how do you justify another incident involving a Rangers fan in Edinburgh leaving a stadium singing the Billy Boys, punching a child and shouting at him to get out of his way? Is that banter too? Or is the Billy Boys and ‘fan’ behaviour part of a bigger problem that is engrained at The Rangers and which is currently being denied by all at the club as a non issue?
typical just typical. those of the nazi hun belief cannot leave ordinary working people alone.