This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Next steps to end sectarianism
30/01/2006
Community-led action and 'people power' will have an increasing impact in stamping out bigoted attitudes, First Minister Jack McConnell said today as he launched the Executive's Action Plan on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland.
The Plan sets out how the Executive will support and expand a wide range of local and national initiatives that have emerged from the ground-breaking National Summit on Sectarianism held last year.
Mr McConnell said he was proud of the way Scots had risen to the challenge of defeating sectarianism - and pledged the Action Plan would support ordinary people in their efforts to rid sectarianism from their communities.
The First Minister said:
"Sectarianism has damaged Scotland's reputation for far too long. It is time to stamp it out.
"This is a national effort, and we all have a part to play. But it is ordinary Scots who can make the biggest difference.
"It is in Scotland's communities that bigoted attitudes are born and nurtured. And it is in Scotland's communities that these attitudes can be wiped out for good.
"We have provided a clear lead in challenging and exposing this ugly aspect of our culture. Scots, both young and old, have risen to that challenge over the last year within their own communities.
"But all of us must take responsibility for our actions and challenge those who peddle hatred and intolerance. Standing together, we can ensure that sectarianism has no part in Scotland's future."
The First Minister was speaking on a visit with Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson to St Mirin's Primary School in Glasgow, where he discussed the issue of sectarianism with teachers and pupils using the education resource pack launched by the Executive in March.
The school is planning to engage in a twinning initiative with Croftfoot Primary School, which will see primary seven pupils from both schools working together to develop a drama around the issue of sectarianism.
Highlights among the 18 key actions outlined today include:
- Reviewing, by December, the range of legal option available to the authorities to crack down on the abusive behaviour that too often surrounds marches and parades, including examining the case for football-style banning orders
- New approaches to develop approaches to tackling sectarianism through the school, youth and university sectors, including promoting twinning schemes between denominational and non-denominational schools
- The Executive will introduce Football Banning Orders as part of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006. The provisions relating to Football Banning Orders will be implemented by April 2007
- Performances of an anti-sectarian play to at least 700 school pupils by this summer
- Funding the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) carry out the first-ever comprehensive research into the effects of sectarianism in Scotland's workplaces
The summit on sectarianism was held on February 14, 2005. Since then a wide range of initiatives have been taken to tackle the problem of sectarianism. Highlights include:
- modernising the way marches and parades should be handled by local authorities and including provisions in the Police, Public Order And Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill 2006 to make the organising of public processions more efficient and to give local authorities the power to take account of a wider range of factors when considering notifications.
- The Executive has also established a Working Group on Marches and Parades to support the implementation of the recommendations of the Review of Marches and Parades in Scotland.
- The First Minister launched the web-based education resource, Sectarianism: Don't Give It, Don't Take It, in March 2005
- In June 2005 the Executive hosted an Anti-Sectarian Education Conference for Education Authority officials and teachers
- In April 2005, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, showed her support at the launch of the Old Firm Alliance project and reinforced the message that it is through tangible, joint ventures such as this project that we can make a real difference to young people's attitudes which they can take through to adulthood
- In advance of the Old Firm match on 24 April 2005 Strathclyde Police provided 25,000 blue and green "Say No To Sectarianism" wristbands to promote the anti-sectarian message among school children in the Glasgow area
- As part of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill we are introducing Football Banning Orders which can be used to ensure that hooligans and those who indulge in the worst bigoted abuse are not able to attend games or visit venues for up to 10 years
- The Executive and Glasgow City Council are jointly running a three year inter-faith liaison officer pilot. The officer will be based in Glasgow City
- The Census Summary report Analysis of Religion in the 2001 Census was published by the Executive in March 2005. It explores the characteristics of each religion group in Scotland using information collected from the Census