MORALIST juggernaut Jeremy Kyle clambered atop his high horse on Friday to denounce anti-monarchist banners unfurled by Celtic fans at their recent Champions League encounter with Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Celtic away support displayed two banners judged by some to be offensive, one saying “F*** the crown” and the other saying “Sorry for your loss, Michael Fagan”.
For younger readers, Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace in 1982 and entered the Queen’s private bedroom while she was in the room.
The TalkTV host, known for exploiting the woes of the working class in the name of light entertainment, claimed the banners were “disgraceful”, saying: “Celtic fans have been slammed, absolutely, for the most offensive banner, which was basically slagging off the Queen’s death, let me be perfectly honest.”
Jeremy Kyle hits out at Celtic fans for their anti-monarchy protest during a Champions League game.
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) September 16, 2022
"There's a difference between protesting and putting up disgusting banners and shouting obscenities." @jkyleofficial pic.twitter.com/JSvdY99Im5
Speaking on TalkTV, he suggested that through the “beauty of television and CCTV” it would be perfectly “feasible to zoom in to find out who these people are”.
Of course, this would require some poor soul to peel themselves away from the round-the-clock coverage of the monarchy, distracting them from the constant mindfulness of the Queen’s passing, in which we are all dutifully engaged. Kyle clearly hasn’t thought this through.
And his comments haven't gone down well on Twitter, either.
One user wrote: "That’s EXACTLY what protesting looks like. Maybe his head is too far up his own arse to be able to see the world clearly. Arrogant man whose horrendous TV show caused misery and grief for so many in the name of entertainment and being a wee hard man with security staff."
Later in the segment, Kyle entered conversation with Michael Kelly, a former director of Celtic and ex-lord provost of Glasgow, Kyle said he was “amazed” that someone involved with Celtic didn’t intervene at the time.
To which, Kelly pointed out that the match was in Poland and that the stewards were not “Celtic stewards or Scottish stewards”.
He added: “Did they understand the words? Did they understand the subtlety of it? They probably did.”
READ MORE: King Charles welcomed to Cardiff Castle by protesters with anti-monarchy signs
Kyle touched on the anti-monarchist protester who was charged with breach of the peace after allegedly shouting obscenities at Prince Andrew.
He raised the question: “What happened to the ability to protest? But there’s a difference between the ability to protest and putting up disgusting banners and shouting obscenities.”
He went on to say that this “wasn’t the time” for such a protest.
But if not banners and obscenities, with what? And if not now, when?
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