The SNP is “nakedly hostile” towards Rangers FC because of its unionist, monarchist fan base, a Conservative MSP has said.
Murdo Fraser, the former deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, said that the Scottish government had “a problem” with the club, which he called a “convenient whipping boy” for nationalist politicians and pundits who disapprove of pro-British views.
Fraser, a Rangers fan and his party’s spokesman for Covid-19 recovery, wrote in The Scotsman: “In most countries in the world, there might be expected to be a positive relationship between the country’s most successful, and best supported, football team, and the country’s government.
“When it comes to the SNP, however, they do seem to have a Rangers problem . . . I can think of supporters of both Celtic and Rangers among the ranks of Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians in Scotland.
“But while there are a number of high-profile Celtic fans within the SNP ranks, I cannot think of a single SNP MP or MSP who identifies as a Rangers supporter . . . Indeed, too often we seem to see naked hostility towards the club and its fans.”
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Fraser was accused by Mhairi Hunter, an SNP councillor in Glasgow Southside, of “playing with fire” and trying to whip up sectarian tension. “Murdo Fraser should be ashamed of himself,” she said. “I have colleagues who have required police protection as a consequence of baseless conspiracy theories concerning Rangers.
“It is fine promoting this stuff from Perthshire, where he doesn’t have to live with the consequences.”
Calling Fraser a coward, she added: “It speaks volumes that no one in the Conservative party involved in amplifying conspiracy theories about wholly imaginary anti-Rangers bias has ever bothered to apologise.”
Fraser accused independence supporters of having double standards when it came to Rangers and its supporters. “When Rangers secured their historic 55th league title in May, a large crowd of supporters marched from Ibrox to George Square, there were scenes of disorder from a small minority,” he wrote.
“Nicola Sturgeon was quick to take to social media to express her disgust. Yet, when we saw Scotland fans in London misbehaving, some apparently indulging in anti-English chanting, during the Euros, the first minister was silent.
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“The club has been a convenient whipping boy for nationalist politicians and their cheerleaders among the commentariat. Perhaps it suits the SNP to demonise an institution which is culturally identified with British unionism and support for the monarchy.
“If working-class unionists can all be caricatured as red-faced anti-Catholic bigots, then won’t that help build support for Scottish independence?”
Robert Leslie, a Rangers fan who contested Orkney for the SNP at the election in May, said: “Aligning support of a sports club with your political life isn’t healthy. I suspect lots of Celtic supporters in Orkney gave me their support in May and likewise some Rangers supporters voted for [the Liberal Democrat MSP] Liam McArthur.”
In 2019, after Rangers were awarded four penalties in a match against St Mirren by the referee Hugh Dallas, Fraser was accused of stirring sectarian tensions when he tweeted: “So glad I bought Bro Dallas that pint in the Lodge last night.”
In 2016, when Rangers defeated Celtic 5-4, he wrote: “The Queen’s 11 deliver Her Majesty the perfect birthday present.”
