Kilt shop owner warned by police for selling anti-England World Cup T-shirts

[Beorn]

A KILT shop got a police warning for selling World Cup T-shirts with "Anyone But England" on the front.
An officer told staff at Slanj of Scotland's Aberdeen branch that the slogan could spark racial unrest.
And he gave the same warning over another of the store's T-shirts, with the slogan "Algeria, USA and Slovenia Supporters Club".
The three countries will be England's group opponents at the World Cup in June.

The shop's assistant manager, Jamie Wilkinson, 23, insisted yesterday that the T-shirts in their window were just "harmless football banter".
He added: "It has nothing to do with hating the English. It's just about winding them up.
"I'm really surprised they are making such an issue about this, and I think they need to get a sense of humour about it."

Slanj owner Brian Halley vowed that the £20 T-shirts would stay on sale.
"The ABE t-shirts are our best sellers at the moment," he said.
"This is the first complaint I'm aware of. It's supposed to be a bit of satire, a bit of fun.
"It's been claimed the T-shirts might incite race riots, which I find quite ridiculous.
"My brother-in-law is English and he just thinks it's a laugh."

The police took no formal action against Slanj and stressed there was "no criminal investigation".
They admitted no member of the public had complained to them about the T-shirts.
But they insisted they would have been "failing in their duty" if they had not warned Slanj "of the potent ial for disturbance such a window display could cause".

Source (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2010/02/24/kilt-shop-owner-warned-by-police-for-selling-anti-england-world-cup-t-shirts-86908-22066227/)

It is just banter between the nations (We English call it 'the craic) and is generally harmless fun.

What possesses the police to intervene citing racism and incitement to racial violence?

[Graham]

maybe ah'll get yin :P

LOL to be fair, if england were to win the world cup. I think I may have to kill myself or something.

Does the place good advertising ,

[Paleo]

Im gonna get one!!!

I got a t-shirt that says : "grow your own dope, plant a englishmen today"

[Beorn]

I'm going to get a picture of Gordon Brown with the caption "I'll be supporting the regions at the World Cup... COME ON REGIONS. COME ON REGIONS" with him attempting to smile as he sizes up what child he wants to eat next.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww185/BeornWulfWer/gordon_brown_smiling.jpg

[Graham]

^^^

Brown to wear an England top just before the elections. What's the chances? everyone sees through that 2 faced twat

[Murphy]

Im gonna get one!!!

I'll probably end up getting one just to wind up poor Beornie.

[Beorn]

I'll probably end up getting one just to wind up poor Beornie.

You could wear it when Scotland play England at the World Cup Quarter Fin....oh! Wait. Scotland didn't qualify.

[poiuytrewq0987]

I'm going to get a picture of Gordon Brown with the caption "I'll be supporting the regions at the World Cup... COME ON REGIONS. COME ON REGIONS" with him attempting to smile as he sizes up what child he wants to eat next.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww185/BeornWulfWer/gordon_brown_smiling.jpg

Oh man I feel bad for you guys. You guys have a moron for a prime minister and even more he is poised to win a second term...

[Amapola]

I don't find it funny... as a Castilian, I don't quite get that sense of humour.

[Paleo]

Oh man I feel bad for you guys. You guys have a moron for a prime minister and even more he is poised to win a second term...

Coming from an American...lol

He'll never win the next election away, i haven't met anyone to likes him
(on either side of the border).

The Tories will win, unfortunately.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Coming from an American...lol

He'll never win the next election away, i haven't met anyone to likes him
(on either side of the border).

The Tories will win, unfortunately.

I'm an American? :D No, sorry, I'm not anything but a Yugoslav. Thank you. :)

That's possibly true, my opinion was geared that way because the UK media was talking about how guaranteed Brown's premiership electoral victory is.

[Liffrea]

I would be more worried about a Scotsman supporting England…….

There are universal laws of nature that should not be tampered with Celtic hostility to the Saxon is one of them.:D

[Amarantine]

kilts, oh dear, so adorable...:P

[Albion]

maybe ah'll get yin :P
LOL to be fair, if england were to win the world cup. I think I may have to kill myself or something.
Does the place good advertising ,
Completly understandable, since every single Englishman alive would point out that Scotland didn't even qualify and never will.

[Beorn]

This thing has been blown well out of proportion now.
I often have my head in my hands over the nonsense that comes spewing forth from my fellow "English Nationalists" at times, no more so then on the few forums there is dedicated to something resembling English nationalism of some kind, but just check out what has gone on since the original article was posted by me.


Top store forced to withdraw England joke gear (http://news.scotsman.com/news/Top-store-forced-to-withdraw.6372276.jp)

ONE of Britain's best-known retail groups has withdrawn anti-English World Cup banners, following complaints to police that they could incite racial hatred.
Record chain HMV has removed items with the letters ABE – which stands for "Anyone But England" – from window displays in its Scottish stores.

It follows a number of objections from the public to the company, as well as a complaint to the police from the Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP).
These flags are ‘racist’ (http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3020908/Pub-in-Dundee-is-ordered-to-remove-anti-England-flags-because-theyre-racist.html)

A PUB boss accused of racism for putting up English flags taunting the Auld Enemy last night insisted: "It's light-hearted banter." Landlord Ian Tasker was ordered to remove the St George's Crosses by cops after a complaint.

But last night Ian, 46, hit out at "heavy-handed" police for carpeting him over the cheeky wind-up inside the Post Office Bar in Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
Police probe 'Anywhere But England' holiday prize (http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Police-probe-39Anywhere-But-England39.6375321.jp)

IT STARTED with T-shirts and banners, now an "Anywhere But England" holiday competition is being investigated by police for stirring up cross-Border World Cup animosity.
A shopping centre in Edinburgh is offering consumers the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the country that wins the football tournament.

However, it has attracted a complaint by marketing the £2,000 prize with the hope that England lose. The banner in the Cameron Toll shopping centre includes the words: "Anywhere but England please." And on the shopping centre's website the link is titled: "Win a holiday to the country that lifts the FIFA World Cup 2010. Let's just hope it's not England, eh."The holiday competition one really made me chuckle. I thought as an advert slogan it really hit the tone well. Apparently others have seemingly had their humour surgically removed. Which is a real shame, as the English were once renowned for being able to laugh at themselves. :(

[Liffrea]

It's stupid. Some fool wrote a letter in the paper yesterday moaning about Andy Murray being "unpatriotic" for not supporting England in the world cup. Last I looked Murray was a Scot.....

Personally I don't support any British Isles team other than England (and even them barely), I'm indifferent when Scotland play, I don't support the other side but for me it's a game between two "foreign" sides if you like. I just don't see why people get upset because the Scots don't support England, seemingly normal to me.

They do realise the UK is a state and not a nation?