Scottish football fans face hate crime complaints from members of the public who hear chants on TV at home, a senior lawyer has warned.
Police Scotland, which has already received 8,000 reports since the new laws came into force last week, is facing warnings that as many as 2,000 further complaints will be made on today due to the Rangers vs Celtic clash at Ibrox.
Sectarian songs are often heard at Old Firm matches, raising fears that partisan supporters watching the game live on TV could swamp the force with new hate crime reports.
The warning came as a new poll, released on Sunday, showed that just 21 per cent of Scots want the hate crime law to be retained, with more than twice as many, 45 per cent, backing its repeal.
When undecided Scots were removed from the figures, 68 per cent want the new law to be scrapped just days after its introduction.
There have been widespread fears that the legislation, which makes it an offence to “stir up” hatred against protected groups, such as transgender people, the disabled or elderly, will have a chilling impact on freedom of speech.
The legislation is widely seen as having descended into farce due to the high number of complaints, which police had not anticipated, and after JK Rowling challenged officers to arrest her after “misgendering” a series of high-profile trans women. Police received several complaints about Rowling’s social media posts but said she had not committed an offence.
Thomas Ross KC, a leading Scottish advocate, said there was the clear prospect of football fans seeking to take advantage of the new Act to report rival supporters.
“Historically there’s a lot of animosity between the supporters of the two clubs and each group of fans report the other for songs they each sing at matches,” he said.
“Undoubtedly, there’s the possibility things could be sung or said that could amount to an offence. It is ridiculous but
“It is highly likely that, come Monday morning, police will have received many more complaints from fans who have watched the game on TV.”
It is ridiculous but Scottish football fans face hate crime complaints
