Rangers fan banned from matches for 6 months for Nazi salute

A Rangers fan has been banned from attending all UK football matches for six months after doing a Nazi salute towards German supporters.

29-year-old Josh Smith from Greenock made the taunt during the club's Europa League semi-final clash versus RB Leipzig on May 5th, 2022.

He was found guilty of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Glasgow Sheriff Court and fined £790.

Smith - an operations manager at insurance company Cigna - was found guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was racially aggravated.

The trial heard from PC Mark Boyd, 31, who was working on the segregation area between the two sets of fans.

He stated that he saw Smith make a number of gestures towards the visiting fans he was standing in front of.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sillars asked what was brought to his attention.

The officer replied: "The middle finger and the V-sign with two fingers."

Miss Sillars said: "You saw Mr Smith make obscene gestures, what was it you saw?"

PC Boyd: "The hand gesture was in essence the Nazi salute.

"There was no hand up to the mouth or anything, just the hand gesture.

"His hand was open and the palm was straight up."

Miss Sillars then inquired what perception the officer had about what Smith was doing.

He said: "You could see it was a racist gesture because of the nationality of the fans standing behind me."

Miss Sillars: "How did that make you feel?"

PC Boyd: "Disgusted that someone would do these gestures in this day and age."

The officer stated that he and colleague PC Sarah Douglas, 26, arrested Smith after the game.

The officer claimed that Smith initially stated that he "did not make any hand gestures."

But PC Boyd said he was told: "I never made any Nazi salute, it was the hand and the Crown."

The officer claimed he later had to Google the phrase and stated that his "inference was the Northern Ireland flag has a hand and a Crown."

Smith in his evidence told the court that he had "banter" with the RB Leipzig fans throughout the match.

He stated that he did a "red hand of Ulster and the Crown" salute.

Smith claimed that he did this due to an affiliation Northern Ireland has with Rangers.

He added: "For me the red hand was a symbol of not surrendering.

"The tie went to 2-2 and it was on a knife edge - I was merely signalling we would not surrender and continue to fight."

Sheriff Anthony Deutsch said after finding him guilty: "I regard this as serious, I wonder what the Leipzig fans thought.

"I accept what happened at the time was during high emotions.

"If you commit a similar offence like this you will be heading towards custody."

Smith was fined £790 and banned from attending all UK football matches for six months.

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