Green Brigade Release Friday Night Statement

The Green Brigade have issued a lengthy and strongly worded response after Celtic confirmed on Friday night that the supporters’ group will be suspended for six matches, three at home and three away, after an incident during the league match against Falkirk.

In their statement, the club said a member of matchday staff was assaulted during a routine ticket check at the front of the Rail Seating Section, with police officers also involved. Celtic described the incident as “violent and unacceptable” and announced the activation of a previously suspended three-game ban against the group, extending it to include away fixtures.

Hours later, the Green Brigade released a detailed rebuttal on social media, calling the decision “a further attack on supporters.” The group described the timing as “unacceptable” and claimed it was part of a broader effort to suppress dissent among fans critical of the Celtic board.

They labelled the activation of the suspended ban “fundamentally unfair” and “unprecedented,” linking it to ongoing tensions between supporters and the club hierarchy. The statement alleged that Celtic’s move was “a cynical attempt to lock out anti-board sentiment and buy the board some relief.”

The Green Brigade also accused Celtic of aligning too closely with Police Scotland, citing what they called an “increasingly concerning relationship” since the appointment of Mark Hargreaves as Head of Safety, Security and Operations.

They argued that policing around the standing section has intensified and claimed prior agreements between the club and fans have been ignored.

In a further escalation, the statement referenced the “Fairhurst report” into the detention of Celtic fans earlier this year, accusing the club of failing to address concerns over police treatment of supporters.

The group concluded by urging fans to back the Celtic Fans Collective and to commit to the ongoing “Not Another Penny” boycott, which targets the club’s commercial revenues.

No members of the Green Brigade will be inside Celtic Park for Sunday’s home match against Kilmarnock, as the ban begins this weekend.

Full Green Brigade Statement

Following the Celtic Trust’s announcement this morning, Celtic FC has initiated a further attack on supporters by banning the Green Brigade for at least six matches. The ban encompasses three home and three away matches beginning with the Kilmarnock match on Sunday 9th November. We were informed of this ban at 17:46 on Friday 7th November which in of itself is unacceptable.

The ban is an activation of the “suspended sentence” which was applied at the beginning of the season because fans “accessed other sections of the stadium without permission” to display Palestine flags. The “suspended sentence” and its activation are fundamentally unfair, out of step of any fair process and totally unprecedented. During a period of consistent and growing pressure against the Celtic board, this ban is nothing more than a cynical attempt to lock-out such sentiment and buy the Celtic board some relief.

The justification for the ban is disingenuous, similar to previous bans. It is another example of the concerning relationship between Celtic FC and Police Scotland which stretches many years and has been well documented. It follows the appointment of Mark Hargreaves, former Chief Superintendent of Police Scotland and HM Assistant Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, to Head of Safety, Security and Operations at Celtic FC this summer. Since this appointment, the level of security around the Standing Section has dramatically increased including the placement of police officers on the concourse which was a break from a previous agreement that no police would be in the Standing Section or on its concourse.

This agreement followed supporter feedback, particularly through the effective strategy of documenting police officers responsible for harassment on social media. We have consistently relayed concerns regarding this in person at a meeting (11/08/2025), in writing (28/08/2025) and to the SLO team at every home match this season. Our concerns have been ignored.

This ban also follows the disappointing Fairhurst report which was unreasonably delayed, lacked conviction and has had zero follow-up from Celtic FC despite multiple commitments to do so, including at that meeting with the Celtic Fans Collective (06/10/2025). In case anyone has forgotten, the Fairhurst report related to the unlawful five hours detention of hundreds of Celtic fans on London Rd before the derby on 16th March 2025. To date, the Club has offered no condemnation of the police treatment of its supporters, which included young children.

Once again, the Celtic board has chosen to side with Police Scotland in another instance of police harassment against its supporters — with zero effort nor care to consider supporter feedback. This includes disregarding a complaint raised to the SLO team following the incident in question.

We categorically refute the allegations against our members and instead contest that Celtic FC and Police Scotland were both the architects and aggressors in this incident. Moreover, we believe that the Celtic board is using this incident to cynically lock-out anti-board sentiment and give themselves some much needed relief.

Finally, we encourage all Celtic supporters to continue to back the Celtic Fans Collective, to commit to the ‘Not Another Penny’ boycott and to sustain the pressure on the Celtic board for positive change at our football club. Your efforts are clearly working.

Until the last rebel.