The Monarchy, Football and the Movement

It should not surprise many of us that the recent death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was marked by mockery and disrespect from many in the Irish, Scottish and Scouse Republican movements, including some Shamrock Rovers supporters singing sick songs during a European game against Djurgården at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin; and a motorcade and fireworks in Londonderry, probably organized by the Saoradh party, and/or Republican Sinn Fein who are linked to the New IRA or Real IRA. Other outbreaks of Republican celebrations at the news of the Queen’s death were reported from Belfast, Glasgow and Liverpool. 

What was very surprising was the booing and chants of F*** the Queen, by a small group of Hearts supporters. An impromptu minute’s silence before the second half of Hearts’ clash with İstanbul Başakşehir had to be cut short by the referee after some supporters jeered and shouted obscenities. However, they were drowned out by Hearts Loyalists who sang “God Save the Queen”. Hearts was always regarded as a “Loyalist club”, but recently more and more young SNP supporters have been turning up at Hearts games. 

This badge is typical of the Loyalist image that most readers will associate with the Edinburgh club Hearts

At the two European games that went ahead in England on Thursday evening at the London Stadium (West Ham United) and Old Trafford (Manchester United), the minute’s silence was observed immaculately. I watched the Manchester United game in my local pub and you could have heard a pin drop. Full credit to the Manchester United supporters for their respect (even though the club is known to have a sizeable left-wing republican following.) 

At the London Stadium, West Ham United fans (who – unlike Manchester United – have a large ‘right-wing’ Loyalist following) sang the National Anthem a number of times during the game. And full credit to the Hammers as well.

Glasgow Rangers management and directors lay a wreath at Ibrox in memory of Her Majesty the Queen

Very wisely, all football in the UK was called off this weekend but will resume again on Tuesday.

God only knows what would have happened at Anfield and Parkhead, where a large percentage of Liverpool and Celtic fans are known for their pro-republican / anti-Royalist views (very ironic in the case of Liverpool FC, which is a club founded by Conservative/Unionist Orangemen! – see H&D #109 for a review of the book Merseyside’s Old Firm). 

There was an interesting statement from Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister in waiting, and vice-president of Sinn Fein (which is the political wing of the IRA), the day after the Queen’s death. 

O’Neill (whose uncle was an IRA terrorist and has no time for the Royal Family) has appealed for her people (i.e. Irish Republicans) to be respectful following the death of the Queen. She made her comments after being asked about reports of footage on social media which appeared to show a cavalcade of cars and fireworks being lit in apparent celebration following the Queen’s death. 

Some anti-Royalist graffiti, mocking the Queen’s death had also appeared on walls in Belfast, Londonderry and Newry in Northern Ireland, as well as in Dublin in the Irish Republic. 

O’Neill said: “This is a time for everybody to be respectful. …Queen Elizabeth has died, there is a family that is mourning her loss. …At the end of the day, she may have been the Queen of England, but she was also a mother, a grandmother, I think people should be very respectful.” 

Interesting words from O’Neill, especially about Queen Elizabeth being “Queen of England”. Obviously, we know O’Neill does not recognize the Monarchy as head of Northern Ireland, but now she has extended this to take in Scotland and Wales as well!

Asked about jokes about the death of the Queen on social media, O’Neill replied: “The British people, people from a unionist identity here are grieving her loss and I think everybody should be very respectful of that and not engage in anything that is anything other than respectful. …I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be engaged in any kind of jokey-type behaviour, someone has died and I think it’s important that we are all respectful.” 

Michell O’Neill (above left) carrying the coffin of IRA godfather Martin McGuinness alongside (above centre) convicted murderer Raymond McCartney and (above right) Sinn Fein / IRA leader Gerry Adams.

O’Neill was speaking after signing the book of condolence at Belfast City Hall for the Queen – as my old friend JR from the States would say: “You just could not make this sort of thing up”! 

Most of us will take O’Neill’s comments with an extra-large pinch of salt, as she and her party are our enemy, just as the SNP are, and under a British nationalist government they would all be banned. 

However, what is surprising – to me anyway – is the amount of abuse, and mockery, and in some cases pure hatred aimed at our late Queen and her family, not by Irish or Scottish republicans or deranged plastic Mickies in Liverpool (we expect that), but by some so-called British racial-nationalists. It’s really incredible (and in some cases quite upsetting) what many of these Facebook/Twitter warriors from ‘our side’ have been posting on social-media since Thursday evening. 

Some sanity did return yesterday, when one of our subscribers – a long-standing racial-nationalist activist from Scotland – posted this reply to them on Facebook. And to use the old adage – “I could not have put it better myself”. 

As an individual I have never been remotely interested in the Royal Family. Granted, as a British patriot I do enjoy the pomp and circumstance, tradition and pageantry that goes with many of the Royal occasions. However, as a Pagan, neither do I have any religious attachment to the Church be it Anglican, Scottish or any others. But across these isles many of my friends and comrades, particularly here in Scotland and over in Ulster, have strong religious beliefs and identify with the monarchy as head of these churches. I respect that entirely and I know that recent events have meant a lot to them. I am however sad that some in our movement have chosen to mock and demean fellow comrades simply for expressing a loss that means so much to them. I like to think I am an ‘O come all ye faithful’ racial nationalist – in that if you are Protestant or Catholic, Pagan or Christian Identity, Royalist or otherwise and you can equate your beliefs with the 14 Words then that is fine by me. So I finish by saying surely there are sometimes people should think twice before they let their bellies rumble, dividing comrades, and just haud yer wheesht – Haud yer weesht (Ed- in English it means shut your mouth or be quiet!)” 

A memorial to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the Shankill Road, Belfast

His statement brought in some replies (see below) from other long-standing racial nationalists.

“I’m almost the same, a lot of my friends are devoted Monarchists and I am not, I am not a fan of any of them, however I am keeping a respectful silence because I think love or loathe them, you can’t blame the woman for the shameful behavior of her progeny and when she passed people have to remember that she was a mother, grandmother to someone, so as I said I will remain silent!” 

On October 20th 1954, I took the Queen’s Shilling and gave in return a solemn oath of allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I have never wavered from that standpoint. Even since leaving HM’s Forces I have remained loyal. My stance has often met with less than sympathy from various sources, including members of my own family. I deplore the actions of such Royals as Prince Harry and the revolting creature he married. But that in no way detracts from my continued loyalty to the Monarchy, now extended to King Charles III. Long live the King!” 

I agree with you 100% comrade. Some of the ‘Facebook warriors’ attacks on our brothers, just because they support something that we may not wholeheartedly support ourselves, is very disrespectful and sad. No wonder our little movement is in the sad state it’s in.”

As Peter Rushton quite correctly pointed out on Thursday evening on the H&D website, shortly after the Queen’s death was announced: – “Now is not the time for detailed political and constitutional discussion, nor for speculation as to whether the monarch could realistically have done anything to prevent some of the disastrous policy decisions made by governments of different parties during her reign. But we can all wish King Charles III well, and hope that he presides over a very different, revitalised political scene in the years to come.”

The time for such a discussion on the British racial-nationalist movement’s stand on the monarchy will come, and will be thoroughly debated within the pages of H&D magazine – but not this year.

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