If you aren’t doing anything wrong, you won’t have anything to worry about. That is often the line trotted out from those defending accusations of heavy-handed policing from indignant football fans.
And in the grand scheme of things, the inconvenience caused to me and seemingly hundreds of football fans trying to make their way to Celtic Park on Sunday by Police Scotland’s closure of London Road was a minor – if irritating - one.
On a personal note, it made me late for my work, as a lack of foresight meant a lengthy wait in my stationary car, before twigging that the vans with flashing lights ahead blocking the usual route to the stadium weren’t going anywhere soon.
Eventually, I managed to squeeze my car through the stationary buses long deserted by Celtic fans who had continued their journey frantically by foot, and wound my way through the narrow streets flanked by abandoned motors on either side to find an alternative route to the Gateway Car Park, situated on the other side of the police cordon.
I eventually sat down puce-faced in the press box around 12 minutes into the game after a journey that normally takes around 25 minutes stretched beyond the two-hour mark, with Rangers already a goal to the good.
What was immediately noticeable was that I wasn’t the only one late to their seat. There was a large section at the front of the North Curve area of the stadium that lay unoccupied, unusual enough for any match at Celtic Park, never mind the visit of Rangers.
It seemed obvious that the situation on London Road was connected to that empty swathe of green-backed safe-standing barriers, and so it proved, with many members of the Celtic ultras group The Green Brigade not as fortunate as myself or the other home fans who were allowed to proceed to the match on foot.
What did the police say was the reason behind their actions?
Police Scotland later released a statement that confirmed 90 fans had been detained in an area of London Road for the duration of the match.
"A group of 90 people, most of whom had concealed their identity, were denied entry to Celtic Park after refusing to be searched by officers under the applied Section 60 powers on Sunday, 16 March 2025,” the statement read.
"It was the opinion of officers that they posed a threat to the safety of people within the stadium and to the public due to possible possession of weapons and pyrotechnics.
"Whilst the group was contained, pyrotechnics were disposed of and set off causing a fire, endangering both the public and officers. Thankfully no-one was injured.
"All 90 people will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to contraventions of Section 60.
"As part of the wider policing operation there was one arrest at the match; a 20-year-old man. He was arrested and charged for alleged police assault on approach to the stadium. He has been released on an Undertaking to appear at court at a later date.
"A second man, aged 46, is the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal for allegedly being in possession of a pyrotechnic."
What are Section 60 powers, and why were they used here?
Additional powers granted to police for a designated period under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 allow officers to stop and search members of the public where they feel ‘it is appropriate or necessary’.
With these powers, the police can remove items from people that they believe could be used to wholly or partially conceal their identity, and indeed, there were reports of fans being asked to remove hats, scarves, balaclavas and even sunglasses before they would be allowed entry to the stadium at the weekend.
The justification for granting these additional powers from 8am until 11.50pm on Sunday was the need to prevent the risk of disorder or serious violence.
Announcing these extra measures on Friday evening, police cited the potential for similar scenes as the ones that played out in Glasgow city centre before this season’s League Cup final - where fans fought and chased one another in the streets in front of horrified shoppers - as the main driver behind Section 60 stop and search authorisation being granted.
Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan, who led the policing operation, said: "Implementation of the Section 60 legislation is only undertaken when there is sufficient risk of serious disorder or violence.
"Unfortunately, this fixture attracts a minority of people who seem intent on using the game as an excuse for violence and the use of weapons. The disorder that took place before the fixture in December 2024 was completely unacceptable and we are still carrying out extensive investigations to identify those who were involved, with a number of people arrested.
"Attacks on genuine supporters, the public who can get innocently caught up in disorder, police officers or emergency workers who are there to help and protect will not be tolerated. Neither will the possession of offensive weapons or dangerous instruments, including pyrotechnics, or any attempt to evade justice by concealing one’s identity.
"Our officers will take all necessary action to ensure public safety and will be actively patrolling key areas to ensure that it is maintained."
What has been the fan response?
Quickly, scenes of fans being held on London Road were shared on social media, and on Monday, the Green Brigade issued a statement through the North Curve Celtic account on ‘X’ challenging Police Scotland’s version of events.
Furthermore, the group revealed that they were seeking legal advice after what they believed to be an unlawful and ‘premeditated attack on fans’, as they also called for the establishment for a formal framework for fan engagement between supporters, clubs and the authorities.
The statement read: "Yesterday, there was a premeditated attack on football supporters by Police Scotland.
"We believe their actions were unlawful and we are currently taking legal advice. The actions of the police should serve as a stark warning to all football supporters in Scotland and anyone who values civil liberties.
"At 10am, the Green Brigade and other Celtic supporters congregated at the Celtic Social Club, which is a routine practice. At this time, there was a considerable police presence.
"At no point was there any attempt from police officers to relay any information about concerns or expectations of how fans should move to the stadium. Similarly, there was no attempt to share information in advance through mutual channels (Celtic Football Club) as is often the case.
"At 10.45am, we attempted to depart for the stadium. At this point, around 200 people were kettled on the road. We were told that we were being held until all away supporters had entered the stadium and would then be moved along.
“After around one hour, the police informed us that we had been detained under section 60 of the Public Order Act. The reason given was that people were concealing their identity despite the fact that most people were not wearing masks.
"When this was pointed out, the concern moved to hats, hoods and sunglasses. We offered to remove these items, but this wasn't accepted.
"In order to leave the police kettle, the following was expected of all individuals including young children:
- submit to police detention, being held by two officers by the arms, taken from the kettle and into a further police cordon
- submit to a full body search (including a refusal to privacy for females)
- give full personal details
- show ID to verify personal details
- have hats, sunglasses, scarves and snoods confiscated
- have all of the above actions filmed, including ID documents and clothing
"Understandably, we were reluctant to comply with these draconian and unnecessary measures and were therefore detained in the kettle for almost five hours, with no access to food, water or toilets, and missed the entire match.
"In the end, zero arrests were made despite the huge sums of public money wasted on the operation. We have since learned through a Police Scotland press release that every person has been reported to the procurator fiscal despite this not being informed to us at the time...
"We would like it noted that the Celtic SLO, John Paul Taylor, spent considerable time at the incident attempting to liaise and help supporters, and has given a report of what happened to Michael Nicholson, CEO.
“We await comment from Michael Nicholson on both the club's prior knowledge of this police operation and its concern for supporters' welfare."
What has been the response of Celtic, then?
Celtic have since issued a statement of their own addressing the issues raised by The Green Brigade about their treatment on their way to the stadium, saying: "Celtic Football Club has received complaints regarding the policing operation concerning yesterday’s match, specifically events away from Celtic Park.
"We are reviewing our supporters’ concerns and will be looking into these issues.
"It is important that these matters are addressed and the Club will be engaging in discussions with supporters and Police Scotland to understand the circumstances and events.”
What about Rangers fans, were they not affected too?
All Rangers supporters with a valid match ticket were asked to report to the East Side of the Emirates Arena across from Celtic Park by 10am on matchday, two and a half hours before kick-off. From there, they were escorted by police to the stadium.
Rangers’ ultras group, The Union Bears, were also subject to searches from police, and it is believed that a smaller but still substantial group of supporters were refused access to the stadium, while others were allowed to enter Celtic Park around 30 minutes after kick off.
Where does this all leave relations between police and fans?
Arguably, at their lowest point in recent years.
The growing influence of ultras culture, including the widespread use of illegal pyrotechnics, has been a bone of contention between fans and authorities for some time now, while the violence in Glasgow ahead of the League Cup final in December meant that the return of the away fans to the Old Firm fixture was always going to lead to a heavier than usual police presence.
While the authorities argue that these factors were sufficient to justify their actions on the day and the authorisation of extra stop and search powers under Section 60, fans groups argue that the approach of the police was heavy handed, unnecessary, and that football supporters are being treated differently to regular citizens.
While not all supporters side with the ultras groups, The Green Brigade and similar groups at other clubs also argue that the ‘draconian’ actions of the police are not only unfair on them, they also impinge on the wider fanbases who may have nothing to do with such organisations.
And also, as it turns out, on one hapless journalist.
