Block Seven

[Carheenlea]

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Watching Sportscene last night and for the first time I took a bit of notice when Block 7 were on camera, the thing that struck me was the majority all seemed like primary school children on an organised day trip, quite strange.

This footage of some high jinx yesterday at Cappielow with Patrick Thistle and Morton “ultras” kind of suggests that the groups are largely made up of young kids, with the average age getting younger. It’s not unique to Hibs.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Hi...ibextid=wwXIfr

[PHeffernan]

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I am one of those that chose to sit in the standing section Im not able to stand for the full 90 nor am am I able to sit for a full 90 and it's genuinely been amazing for myself in terms of dealing with my pain having the option of being able to do this.

Sounds like the perfect solution for you Reidy.
It's great when a plan comes together

[PHeffernan]

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This footage of some high jinx yesterday at Cappielow with Patrick Thistle and Morton “ultras” kind of suggests that the groups are largely made up of young kids, with the average age getting younger. It’s not unique to Hibs.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Hi...ibextid=wwXIfr

This Years Model

[matty_f]

https://x.com/blocksevenhibs/status/...Ggie80A2m3HH1A

I believe a few ultra groups have put out similar. While I agree largely that get police’s treatment of football fans is brutal, this feels like a burglar complaining that the police get to search his house.

[Bridge hibs]

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https://x.com/blocksevenhibs/status/...Ggie80A2m3HH1A

I believe a few ultra groups have put out similar. While I agree largely that get police’s treatment of football fans is brutal, this feels like a burglar complaining that the police get to search his house.

I tend to agree, I wonder what the hibs ultras response will be to this:

“If the police believe that we will quietly accept Section 60 powers becoming the norm, then they are profoundly mistaken”

Wear bullet proof balaclavas, get bigger and thicker drum sticks, learn to shave, stop helping Grannies cross the road ?

[hibee316]

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https://x.com/blocksevenhibs/status/...Ggie80A2m3HH1A

I believe a few ultra groups have put out similar. While I agree largely that get police’s treatment of football fans is brutal, this feels like a burglar complaining that the police get to search his house.

No-one I know has ever had any bother from the Police going to a football game, and I've been going for nearly 30 years.

The Police are quite rightly targeting a group who cause trouble.

They also talk about there overwhelming positive influence.

I agree they have some good initiatives in the community, but personally I'm not a fan of the drum and prefer songs starting organically in the crowd. Each to their own on that though, but there point is definitely subjective.

[matty_f]

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No-one I know has ever had any bother from the Police going to a football game, and I've been going for nearly 30 years.

The Police are quite rightly targeting a group who cause trouble.

They also talk about there overwhelming positive influence.

I agree they have some good initiatives in the community, but personally I'm not a fan of the drum and prefer songs starting organically in the crowd. Each to their own on that though, but there point is definitely subjective.

I think the statement says “some aspects of the scene don’t appeal to everyone”, or words to that effect. It’s the criminal bits. The fighting, the graffiti, the unacceptable songs that have been alleged, and then the less criminal but frustrating things like commandeering people’s seats and causing aggro when challenged etc.

If they could join the dots between doing those things and the treatment they get from the police, maybe they stop getting the treatment from the police.

It doesn’t feel like that’s a hard concept to grasp. Yes they do good things, I think they’re generally a welcome addition to the stadium and while the drum isn’t for me, they’re clearly enjoying themselves so good on them.

I’ve said already though that they can’t just point to the positive stuff and dismiss the other stuff as if it’s trivial or just one of those things.
The police aren’t hounding them just because they like a song and a drum beat.

[Hibs Go Bragh]

How many times man! Stop wearing balaclavas and smuggling illegal pyro into stadiums. Stop fighting with other ultra groups in the streets and the police will leave you alone!

You literally walk around in the same uniform and behind a banner announcing who you are, of course the police are targeting you!

Maybe if it was written in crayon they would understand.

[Keith_M]

Maybe the CCS should announce a retrospective statement bemoaning their treatment by the police.

It would make as much sense.

[tamig]

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I tend to agree, I wonder what the hibs ultras response will be to this:

“If the police believe that we will quietly accept Section 60 powers becoming the norm, then they are profoundly mistaken”

Wear bullet proof balaclavas, get bigger and thicker drum sticks, learn to shave, stop helping Grannies cross the road ?

Exactly. What a bunch of erseholes. What do they intend to do to show their non-acceptance of the use of these S60 powers?

[heretoday]

Some of them are barely out of childhood.

[McD]

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I think the statement says “some aspects of the scene don’t appeal to everyone”, or words to that effect. It’s the criminal bits. The fighting, the graffiti, the unacceptable songs that have been alleged, and then the less criminal but frustrating things like commandeering people’s seats and causing aggro when challenged etc.

If they could join the dots between doing those things and the treatment they get from the police, maybe they stop getting the treatment from the police.

It doesn’t feel like that’s a hard concept to grasp. Yes they do good things, I think they’re generally a welcome addition to the stadium and while the drum isn’t for me, they’re clearly enjoying themselves so good on them.

I’ve said already though that they can’t just point to the positive stuff and dismiss the other stuff as if it’s trivial or just one of those things.
The police aren’t hounding them just because they like a song and a drum beat.

Don’t act like ********s and much less likely to get treated the way you have been by the police, it’s not a hard concept

[The Modfather]

They must have made more statements than the paltry numbers they have .

[lugz]

The sooner we get all these groups in the bin the better. Saw on Instagram they were wearing Palestine scarfs at ibrox, majority of them couldn't show you where it is on a map.

[marinello59]

There’s some middle ground here. There’s not much wrong with what they say in their statement, football fans do get policed differently. Let’s not shoot the messenger.

[Paul1642]

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There’s some middle ground here. There’s not much wrong with what they say in their statement, football fans do get policed differently. Let’s not shoot the messenger.

Police have a duty to the whole public, not just the 100k or so attending football each week. The other 5.5 million residents of Scotland don’t really want groups of balaclavad up laddies fighting in the streets. I’ve been attending football my whole life and don’t have any issue with the way I’m policed, but then I don’t break the law.

Section 60 powers becoming more common is the result of their own actions. Go to games with no illegal pyro, no balaclava, and don’t fight with other fans and they’ll be just fine, it’s really that simple.

[matty_f]

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There’s some middle ground here. There’s not much wrong with what they say in their statement, football fans do get policed differently. Let’s not shoot the messenger.

I’m on board with the sentiment, and it’s been happening long before Block Seven were born, but they are overtly criminal in their behaviour - they post videos showing it - that’s why we, as football fans, continue to get the crap treatment from the police.

We all get tagged into it for their antics.
I can’t take a bottle of juice into the stadium because people throw bottles at the football - it’s the fault of those people that I can’t take a bottle of juice in.

I don’t take pyro into the stadium but I get searched because of the people who do.

There’s no doubt that we get a raw deal from the police, it really sticks in my throat that we do, but then I can’t get to a pub I’m going to because fans are fighting outside it on a busy Saturday evening as folk go about their business, or I watch Block Seven physically fighting stewards inside our own stadium (allegedly because they had the audacity to try and stop them doubling up through the turnstiles…) and I know that the crap treatment is going to last a bit longer.

[Bridge hibs]

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There’s some middle ground here. There’s not much wrong with what they say in their statement, football fans do get policed differently. Let’s not shoot the messenger.

Football fans have suffered heavy handedness for decades too though, this is nothing new, ultras are just an extension of fan radgeness thats been going on for yonks. Yes they are more political in their views/protests but a lot of that is to get recognition on saturated media platforms but as mentioned above half of them are still in their nappies and probably couldnt pick out Palestine if it smacked them in the face.

I attended games early to mid 70s and onwards and on many occasions was at the wrong end of a Police truncheon or a boot in the arse from an over zealous horse. The word “kettled” is also being thrown around a lot like the word has just been invented. Im sure you and many on here have experienced being “kettled” at games, particularly away games where it happened on a regular basis.

One game that stands out around the late 80s I think when a couple of hundred of us got off a train at Berwick for a game and we were met by a very heavy Police presence at the station, we were “kettled” Police horses and dogs, we were frogmarched up the road and if you stepped off the path you were manhandled and shoved back in line. If you were gobby then you were dragged out and most likely spent a night in the clink.

That was unacceptable but it happened and we just got used to it. Off course we had our bams but there were many hibs fans who werent and also suffered by the heavy handedness that was meted out on a regular basis. I also think Police were far more brutal then than what they are like now, its all regs and policies etc but back then rules were bent, double bent and ****ing bent more.

Ive still got the tattoos on my erse cheeks from the many truncheon leatherings I received through the years and to be honest I was gobby but not a trouble maker. I think theres a bit of “snowflake” about these statements but I get the Police thinking too, our ultras are not innocent wee laddies, its been reported and posted many times on here about their **** behaviour at games and a case in point was the recent aggro between the onion bears and the greeting brigade in Glasgow city centre. If the Police want to avoid repeats of that then they have to start nailing these groups.

Support your club, make a noise but act like fannies in public then you pay the price, its not rocket science.

[Hiber-nation]

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One game that stands out around the late 80s I think when a couple of hundred of us got off a train at Berwick for a game and we were met by a very heavy Police presence at the station, we were “kettled” Police horses and dogs, we were frogmarched up the road and if you stepped off the path you were manhandled and shoved back in line. If you were gobby then you were dragged out and most likely spent a night in the clink.

.

1980 Scottish Cup game. A good few of us battered stupid for no reason by the Geordie Polis that got sent up there for the day. We got let out of the clink about 7.00 so at least we got home. £40 fine for all of us and I even got granted a personal meeting with the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police to complain about the police handling.

Anyway back on track....

[Bridge hibs]

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1980 Scottish Cup game. A good few of us battered stupid for no reason by the Geordie Polis that got sent up there for the day. We got let out of the clink about 7.00 so at least we got home. £40 fine for all of us and I even got granted a personal meeting with the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police to complain about the police handling.

Anyway back on track....

Yeah it was quite brutal that day, if I remember correctly when we were met at the rail station and marched up the road we were not allowed to sing or chant or the Police waded in if anyone tried to start a song 🤬

[Bostonhibby]

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Football fans have suffered heavy handedness for decades too though, this is nothing new, ultras are just an extension of fan radgeness thats been going on for yonks. Yes they are more political in their views/protests but a lot of that is to get recognition on saturated media platforms but as mentioned above half of them are still in their nappies and probably couldnt pick out Palestine if it smacked them in the face.

I attended games early to mid 70s and onwards and on many occasions was at the wrong end of a Police truncheon or a boot in the arse from an over zealous horse. The word “kettled” is also being thrown around a lot like the word has just been invented. Im sure you and many on here have experienced being “kettled” at games, particularly away games where it happened on a regular basis.

One game that stands out around the late 80s I think when a couple of hundred of us got off a train at Berwick for a game and we were met by a very heavy Police presence at the station, we were “kettled” Police horses and dogs, we were frogmarched up the road and if you stepped off the path you were manhandled and shoved back in line. If you were gobby then you were dragged out and most likely spent a night in the clink.

That was unacceptable but it happened and we just got used to it. Off course we had our bams but there were many hibs fans who werent and also suffered by the heavy handedness that was meted out on a regular basis. I also think Police were far more brutal then than what they are like now, its all regs and policies etc but back then rules were bent, double bent and ****ing bent more.

Ive still got the tattoos on my erse cheeks from the many truncheon leatherings I received through the years and to be honest I was gobby but not a trouble maker. I think theres a bit of “snowflake” about these statements but I get the Police thinking too, our ultras are not innocent wee laddies, its been reported and posted many times on here about their **** behaviour at games and a case in point was the recent aggro between the onion bears and the greeting brigade in Glasgow city centre. If the Police want to avoid repeats of that then they have to start nailing these groups.

Support your club, make a noise but act like fannies in public then you pay the price, its not rocket science.

Exactly this.

I was at that Berwick game. Plod beingvhard men on overtime was how I recall it.

Had a worse experience at Motherwell around the same time, we arrived earlyish so were in a small band of Hibbies milling about doing nothing. PC Plod's extra thick division set themselves up at intervals down the steps and walked in randomly grabbing a few folk and throwing them out! No offence was even discussed. Most of us were actually just let back in by a steward but one guy asked to see the match commander. He turned out to be a bigger version of the same problem but rather than deal with a complaint he let the guy go and he had to pay in again.

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[Just_Jimmy]

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There’s some middle ground here. There’s not much wrong with what they say in their statement, football fans do get policed differently. Let’s not shoot the messenger.

The quicker these ultra groups get to f. The better.

Block 7 are a stain on Hibernian FC.

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[heretoday]

I suppose they are looking for an identity.
But it's not much of an identity if they dress and behave exactly like the other ultra groups.
Hoping it's a trend and it'll expire before I do.

[Dashing Bob S]

There was me thinking this old people moaning about the kids of today thing would never catch on...

[Helensburghhibs]

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The quicker these ultra groups get to f. The better.

Block 7 are a stain on Hibernian FC.

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I'm sorry but you get treated differently, every time you go to a game. Some examples....

1. You can't take a bottle of juice in with you,

2. Your freedom of movement around the stadium is restricted and sometimes stopped all together.

3. If you have never been refused access to the toilet then, you have never been to ibrox away end.

These are some of the simple examples that we have just accepted and will. Have affected every single one of us without thinking,, ask your mates that go shopping or the cinema on a Saturday how many of them they would consider normal

[Bishop Hibee]

You must have been lucky. I remember being on a supporters bus, can’t remember which branch, going to Motherwell in the late 80s. Bus stopped off at a pub in Lanarkshire on route. Got our drinks in and the police burst in telling us if we didn’t leave the pub we’d all be detained. No choice but to get back on the bus.

As for Block 7, I admire their passion for the club but a big no to balaclavas. As I’ve said on here before, there should be a designated area for pyro as I believe there is in U.S. football.

[Just_Jimmy]

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I'm sorry but you get treated differently, every time you go to a game. Some examples....

1. You can't take a bottle of juice in with you,

2. Your freedom of movement around the stadium is restricted and sometimes stopped all together.

3. If you have never been refused access to the toilet then, you have never been to ibrox away end.

These are some of the simple examples that we have just accepted and will. Have affected every single one of us without thinking,, ask your mates that go shopping or the cinema on a Saturday how many of them they would consider normal

Not many folk go throwing stuff at staff, or have running battles in shopping centres though do they?

As Matty said, blame the people who cant act like adults.

Simple fact is, the polis will put the good of the general public above football fans. That's not changing unless football culture changes. Only a few months ago we had running battles in Glasgow because two clubs couldn't behave...

I've seen football fans trashing cities and towns throughout the UK. I Can't recall that ever being done by rugby fans or other sports? Maybe it has, I certainly cant recall it.



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[Since90+2]

Waiting for the obligatory Rugby fans are just as bad posts.

You regularly see Rugby fans masked up and having mass brawls in the street and chucking items at player of course.

[Pretty Boy]

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Police have a duty to the whole public, not just the 100k or so attending football each week. The other 5.5 million residents of Scotland don’t really want groups of balaclavad up laddies fighting in the streets. I’ve been attending football my whole life and don’t have any issue with the way I’m policed, but then I don’t break the law.

Section 60 powers becoming more common is the result of their own actions. Go to games with no illegal pyro, no balaclava, and don’t fight with other fans and they’ll be just fine, it’s really that simple.

I don't think it's just football where these young lads get treated differently though. There was the old Family Guy joke with the police officer holding the colour chart going from white to black and the caption running from okay to not okay as it went darker. In Scotland you could probably replace that with a list of postcodes and it would reflect how the police behave differently.

I grew up in a scheme and I don't recall the police being viewed as particularly benevolent or as being on our side. It often felt like we were guilty of something until proven innocent. Blethering with your mates in the street was 'loitering with intent'. Taking a walk through the 'posh' area a mile or so up the road meant you were subjected to questions about why you were there, what you wanted, what were you intending to do etc etc. We were often moved on from the local park when kicking a ball about for no given reason beyond 'because I ****ing well told you to move son'. It went from low level intimidation to out and out discrimination and bullying at times.

That was a long time ago now but I'm not convinced it will have changed all that much. If I was that age again I doubt I'd be happy to hand over my phone to the police or give any details beyond the very basics, in fact I still wouldn't do it now without just cause. Some of these young lads need to reflect on their behaviour, some of them are behaving in a way that is undeniably criminal but for a lot of them they are probably just sick and tired of being harassed and aggressively handled for doing not a lot wrong or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There is a middle ground and a bit of dialogue from the end of the police rather than this heavy handed approach would be welcome. When you consider the event of something like Hillsborough, not just that game but the couple of close calls there beforehand, you can see clearly how police prejudices about football fans can have devastating consequences. Plenty people then bought the Kelvin McKenzie/Maggie Thatcher version of the 'truth' and the 'police were heroes' narrative (and many individual officers undoubtedly were) until people stood up and demanded a proper investigation and the actual truth.

[Bostonhibby]

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There was me thinking this old people moaning about the kids of today thing would never catch on...

My general view, as an older person is that overall, the youth of today are politer and more open minded than my fellow elders.

I didn't get to where I am today by singling out the youth of today but I've no problem having a swipe at bellends of all ages who feel entitled or are disrespectful of others, especially in a football ground.

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