Gillingham FC Forum

I am amazed that nobody on here has commented on the heavy handed and pathetic arrests of three fans for racist chanting. Obviously this has been heightened by Evans the sweaty getting all upset with Hess and the charges used can only apply in a football ground, but I just think the world has gone mad.
Can you imagine if this was applied in pubs, the police would be rushed off their feet on Paddies Day.

It rather depends on what they were chanting doesn't it ?

Abuse at Evans; it just seems that anything can now be deemed racist apart from anyone having a go at the English!

You're not being very specific…calling someone a bastard is abuse , calling them a fat bastard is personal abuse, calling them a fat nationality or religious or colour bastard probably is racist.
All of it begs the question , why on earth would a grown man ( or woman) want to chant any of those ?

My guess alchamohole,

I would love to know, does he get this abuse anywhere else? His attitude would suggest a little but I guess most of our lot comes from that altercation with Hessy. I just don't understand how on Earth you can single out 3 people when 80% of the ground was chanting it.

Let's say Rimshot they did chant what everyone says they chanted. This is abuse not banter? Is that any different to calling Swindon "in-breds" (I would rather be called a "w" or fat that be labelled as sleeping with my mother)? Is that any different to fans coming to us and calling us pikeys which IS classified as a racist term? Whilst I accept you cannot write all abuse off as banter, you do have to add a touch of realism - it hardly raised an eyebrow really and for someone so ruthless and thick skinned (literally and metaphorically) he does get upset really too easily. He must have had worse.

I wonder if it was Evans who complained. At the start I saw Claude Davis walking to the dugout talking to Carl Muggleton. He clearly wasn't happy and appeared to mouth he must do something to which Muggleton nodded. Was it him that heard the chants and complained instead? Wasn't it Davis when playing for Crawly that complained of racist abuse from a supporter in the Gordon Road?

The thing is they use legislation that is only applicable in football grounds which to me seems very strange. So you can chant something similar in a pub on Friday night and the charge (if any) would be different?
It seems that society has turned upside down now, cause a punch up on Saturday night and all you get is an exclusion order, call someone a fat Scottish w******* and you get arrested, have a banning order applied to you, probably for 3 years, get a fine and community service!