A Rangers fan who was caught with a Nazi banner at a match against Aberdeen has managed to avoid jail time. Jordan McArthur, 31, displayed the flag, which featured a skull associated with the SS paramilitary organisation, on September 30, 2023, during a game where Aberdeen emerged victorious with a 3-1 win over Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
The incident took place at the Broomloan Road stand, where McArthur unfurled the banner before the match began. The flag was described as blue with a white skull and crossbones symbol, alongside the words ‘Rangers,’ ‘Active’, ‘Unit’, and the numbers ‘936.’ McArthur was seen gesturing towards the Aberdeen fans while holding the flag before eventually putting it away in a bag just before kick-off.
After images of the flag circulated on social media, a witness recognised the symbol as associated with the third Panzer division from World War II. This led to the involvement of Scottish Government ministers, media outlets, Rangers Football Club, and Police Scotland. McArthur surrendered himself to the police on December 11 following an investigation.
Jordan McArthur had an earlier incident at another Rangers and Aberdeen match at Ibrox on May 7, 2023, where he was seen mouthing and throwing an item towards the away section. For these offences, he pled guilty to breach of the peace and culpable and reckless conduct. During the sentencing, McArthur’s defence explained that this was his first appearance in court for such offences and apologised for his actions.
Despite acknowledging the seriousness of the breaches, the sheriff decided not to send McArthur to prison. Instead, McArthur was placed under a four-month curfew from 7.30pm to 5am, received a five-year football banning order related to the earlier coin offence, and was mandated to perform 200 hours of unpaid work for the flag incident. Additionally, he was put under supervision for 12 months.
This recent incident is not the first time McArthur has faced legal consequences for his actions at football matches. In 2016, he was part of a crowd invasion onto the pitch at Hampden Park after Rangers lost to Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final, resulting in a curfew, supervision, and a football banning order. In 2020, he also received a community payback order for a related offence at an asylum rights protest in George Square.
McArthur’s behaviour has drawn criticism, and the court emphasized the need for consequences while considering his past infractions. Despite meeting the custodial threshold for the recent offences, the sheriff opted for a community payback order due to McArthur’s circumstances and employment status. The sentencing aimed to address the seriousness of the breaches while providing an alternative to custody.