A RANGERS fan caught with a Nazi banner at a match avoided jail today.
Jordan McArthur, 31, held the flag which featured a skull associated with the SS paramilitary organisation on September 30 2023.
Rangers hosted Aberdeen that day in a match which the visitors went on to win 3-1 against the eventual Scottish Premiership runners-up.
Glasgow Sheriff Court was told that before the game McArthur unfurled the banner from the upper tier of the Broomloan Road stand.
Fiscal Caitlin McAllister said: “The flag was blue in colour with a white skull and crossbones symbol in the middle.
“Above the symbol was ‘Rangers’ to the left ‘Active’ to the right and ‘Unit’ underneath with the numbers ‘936’.
“McArthur remained with the flag looking towards where the Aberdeen fans were seated and occasionally gestured towards them.”
Shortly before kick off, McArthur was seen to remove the banner and put it into a bag.
Following the match, an image of the flag and McArthur with it circulated on social media.
Miss McAllister said: “A witness viewed this and recognised he symbol as being associated with the third Panzer division during the second world war.”
This person reported it to Scottish Government ministers, media outlets, Rangers Football Club as well as Police Scotland.
Officers carried out an investigation and McArthur handed himself into police on December 11.
Miss McAllister stated: “Images of the flag were shown to Doctor Rachel Chin who is a lecturer of war studies at the University of Glasgow.
“She provided a written document about the image which is associated with the SS and is an image of intolerance.”
The court heard of an earlier incident involving McArthur at another Rangers and Aberdeen match at Ibrox on May 7 2023.
Police spotted McArthur holding something in his right hand mouthing: “Can I throw this back?”
Miss McAllister said: “Moments later, officers saw him throw the item to the designated away area.”
A fan felt an object strike her on the head. A two pence coin was then discovered in her hood.
McArthur pled guilty to committing breach of the peace as well as a separate charge of culpable and reckless conduct.
Harvie Diamond, defending, told today’s sentencing: “This is the first time he has appeared in court for this type of offence.
“He shouldn’t have had that banner and I accept that – he apologises.
“His explanation for the coin offence has always been that things were raining down on him and he foolishly threw it back.
“Sending him to prison would not achieve anything as far as the public interest is concerned.”
Sheriff Anna Reid tagged McArthur for four months keeping him indoors between 7.30pm and 5am as well as imposing a five year football banning order on him for the coin offence.
McArthur, of the city’s Castlemilk, was separately ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and put under supervision for 12 months for the banner offence.
Sheriff Reid said: “I heard a narration and benefited from a background report.
“In light of your previous convictions, the custodial threshold has been met for both matters.
“Considering what is in the background report and taking account of your circumstances, you are working, I will dispose of this with an alternative to custody which is a community payback order.”
The crimes came after McArthur was one of hundreds who invaded the pitch at Hampden Park after Rangers were defeated by Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final in 2016.
He was put on a six month curfew, put on supervision for a year as a three year football banning order for his part.
Sheriff Lindsay Wood stated that the time: “You let Scottish football down.”
McArthur was also given a community payback order in 2020 after he admitted a breach of the peace related to disorder at an asylum rights protest in the city’s George Square.
Rangers issued a strong condemnation of the flag at the time, saying: “Clearly, this flag is absolutely unacceptable and the club condemns the displaying of it within our stadium in the strongest possible terms.
“The club can confirm an investigation is now underway.”
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