Why Bonfire night, football and school violence add up to a worrying picture of modern-day Scotland
Attempts to control Bonfire Night violence in Edinburgh highlight how societal attitudes have changed in recent years
There was a time when Bonfire Night was a relatively tranquil affair, of rockets, Roman candles, Catherine wheels, sparklers, treacle toffee, and a Guy pushed around in a barrow by children hoping to make a penny or two. For all its grisly origins, this was, by and large, a peaceful and happy event.
However, in recent years, it has been turned into an excuse for serious public disorder in parts of Scotland, with fireworks fired at homes, vehicles and people who happen to be passing by, and emergency services personnel attacked.
In 2023, a total of 62 officers were injured during appalling Bonfire Night-related violence. In one incident that year, a gang of about 50 youths in Niddrie, Edinburgh, threw fireworks and even petrol bombs at riot police. Police Scotland said that in some cases “adults linked to organised crime” were involved behind the scenes.
Now Edinburgh is set to create a record 14 firework control zones across the city this year, which will make it a criminal offence to set off within or throw a firework into their boundaries. Previous control zones appear to have helped deal with the problem and we hope the new zones are similarly effective.
However, this is not the only sign that public order and respect for authority are at risk of breaking down. Celtic fans’ ‘celebrations’ after winning the league title last month saw police officers faced with “unacceptable violence and hostility”, according to Police Scotland.
Scotland’s schools also have a serious problem, with the NASUWT union saying earlier this year that they receive “regular reports from teachers across Scotland about incidents of serious violence and abuse”.
All this suggests that cultural attitudes towards violence in Scotland are changing for the worse and woe betide any country that complacently allows such powerful societal forces to spiral out of control.
The rule of law matters. Maintenance of discipline in schools matters. Requiring pupils to abide by basic standards of behaviour in the classroom matters. These are not old-fashioned, out-dated sentiments from a bygone era but age-old lessons that we forget at our peril.