ONCE upon a time in a pub in Glasgow, I was party to a “discussion” about freedom of speech.

One of the group opined that in singing about being up to their knees in Fenian blood, fans of Rangers were merely expressing their right to freedom of speech in regard to their “perceived tribal culture” – I’ve always remembered the exact way he put it, but he could not say why certain sectarian songs were part of that “culture.”

Similarly, said our Glaswegian expert, Celtic fans who sang about the IRA were merely using their freedom of speech to express their “perceived tribal culture”, even though I pointed out to him very quickly that while Celtic FC’s history was replete with Irish antecedents, it has never included support for the IRA – indeed, the great Irish reformer Michael Davitt was chosen to lay the centre spot turf at Celtic Park because he had rejected violence and left the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

My main point was that football’s authorities specifically ban sectarian chanting inside stadia, but the SFA in particular are supine and will never impose the deduction of points on Celtic, Rangers or any other club whose fans indulge in bigoted and sectarian misbehaviour.

“It will never stop,” I said, “and it’s the failure of Scotland as a whole to deal with this issue which is the real shaming of our country.”

At this point another friend interceded. He agreed that both sets of fans had freedom of speech, but he also pointed out that exercising such freedoms entailed consequences.

“For instance,” he said, “try singing the Boys of the Old Brigade on a subway carriage on the way to Ibrox on the day of an Old Firm match, and your freedom of speech will be somewhat curtailed by the fists that will go down your throat. Or try singing the Billy Boys in certain streets of the East End of Glasgow any time, and you’ll learn the harsh consequences of using your freedom of speech.

“It’s about context and cowardice… for that is what mob rule has always been about. They will happily sing in a choir of bigots, but how many would go solo in the wrong place?”

Of course we all condemned violent repression of freedom of speech, but my friend had made his point markedly. In this country, as in most of the western world, you are free to express your opinions, but don’t think you can do so with impunity if those opinions are offensive to other people – especially if doing so also breaks the law.

Which brings us to Donald Trump and the issue of black players, mainly, in US sports “taking the knee” during the national anthem.

I have always understood the passion that ordinary Americans have for their national flag and anthem. They are, after all, the chief symbols of the United States, and unify the country in a way that the White House and the mighty dollar never have.

Only the Star Spangled Banner and its accompanying anthem still resonate with the ideal of a land of the free, because the body politic in the US has long been riddled with the cancer of divisiveness exemplified by the current President.

The principal task of any President is to uphold the Constitution of the United States. It’s what he vows to do when taking office. The Constitution as drafted by the Founding Fathers was an imperfect statement of ideals – why else have there been 27 ratified amendments to it? – but it’s a damn sight better than our UK constitution... because we don’t have one.

The First Amendment specifically protects freedom of speech and, by association, freedom of expression in general, so when the black players went down on one knee at the weekend to protest against continuing oppression and police killing of black people, the President should have been out there protecting their rights to demonstrate, even if he profoundly disagreed with their views.

Instead, Trump called them sons of bitches and demanded they be fired. In doing so, he yet again betrayed his office and quite brilliantly – for he truly is a media manipulator of genius – deflected attention away from his own ongoing problems with North Korea and his family links to Russia.

A journalist friend of mine of vast experience furth these borders told me last year – when I exposed the story of Trump’s immigrant mother – his presidency would collapse just as soon as some serious people started investigating his finances.

My mate reckons Trump will disappear overnight rather than have his financial laundry exposed. I am still waiting, but more and more I suspect that Trump will continue to divide and rule.

His latest outbursts show he is a bigot who will play to the lowest common denominator by odiously wrapping himself in the flag. His obnoxious views now include sacking people for exercising their right to freedom of speech.

It’s time for everyone in sport all over the world to take the knee in solidarity with the black people of America. Let’s show Trump the fans of teams in far off countries detest what he is doing to the US.

This weekend, sport fans across the world should take a knee during club songs or national anthems to show Trump once and for all that he is a thoroughly detestable, and detested, nincompoop and that we all kneel in solidarity with the protestors who oppose racism.