Time to peel back the layers of prejudice

I AM tempted to think that the recent intervention by Dave Scott of Nil By Mouth to demand that police officers declare their membership of various organisations is more about keeping his organisation relevant than it is about challenging the real impact of racism and bigotry in Scotland as it manifests itself in the sphere of policing and justice. Had he genuinely been following the data I don’t think he would have seen the need to extend the list of organisations, membership of which he wishes police officers to declare, beyond the Masonic and Orange—and other—Orders.

However, not surprisingly for old Dave, he also included Opus Dei. I know little to nothing about Opus Dei and I am not offering any view of its members, but I have yet to hear of anyone claiming that they have been treated badly by a police officer because that officer was a member and harboured some ill will towards them for that reason. Nor have I heard anyone saying you can’t get promoted in the Police Service of Scotland unless you join Opus Dei. Opus Dei don’t march past Protestant churches in an intimidating fashion. I have no knowledge of Opus Dei offering networking to advance the employment and business interests of its members. I have never heard of anyone contacting Opus Dei when they find themselves in trouble with the police and getting it sorted out. Some, or all of this, has been said, repeatedly, by many, over a long period of time about the Orange Order and the Masons, which is probably why the police in England are required to declare their membership of the Masons at least.

It took me less than three seconds to find out that there are only about 50 Opus Dei members in Scotland. From that, Dave could have worked out that the likelihood of there being more than one, or even one, police officer in Scotland who is an Opus Dei member is vanishingly small.

So why does Dave Scott include them? In truth I think it is because he is Dave Scott and that is what he does—constantly try to portray himself and his organisation as a model of even-handedness while simultaneously turning his head away from the statistics that clearly show who the real victims of bigotry are.

A problem in plain sight

Anyway, enough of that, what about the substantive issue of whether serving police officers who are members of such organisations should be made to declare it? Dave Scott says he ‘struggles’ to work out why they have a problem with declaring their membership. I assume this was a rhetorical device because I don’t know anyone who would ‘struggle’ with that question. It is as obvious as the square and compass carved into the stonework of every lodge in Scotland. We all know why. They knew why in England too, which is why they made it compulsory for their police officers to declare membership of the Masons.

So why not in Scotland? This is the Police Service of Scotland whose last two Chief Constables have declared them ‘institutionally racist.’ It is not a secret. What is a secret is what they are planning to do about it other than the usual vague promises and talk of reviews. Surely this would be a straightforward, almost costless step to restore confidence in the police—a low hanging fruit so to speak. The fact that they won’t give a commitment to this says more about why we are in this position than anything else. What is the specific behaviour which both former CC Iain Livingstone and his successor, Jo Farrell have referred to as evidence of the force being ‘institutionally racist and discriminatory?’ Does any of it relate to the issues which Dave Scott is clearly referring—clear despite his obfuscation?

What Iain Livingstone actually said was the following: “Of course, our operational response to reports from women; from people with black or Asian heritage; people who have disabilities; LGBTI citizens; anyone from a minority group; is vital, crucial, in maintaining the confidence of all our communities. The confidence to come forward, the confidence to know you will be treated fairly, treated with respect and with assurance that Police Scotland will respond professionally and with compassion to your own particular circumstances, characteristics and needs.”

All very laudable and something I am sure we all support. Notice anything missing? In a force area in which the Catholic community—overwhelmingly of Irish descent—is around 13 per cent of the population, but anti-Catholic religious aggravated crime is about 45-55 per cent of all such crime and has been since that data has been collected, I would have thought Sir Iain and his successor would have wanted to say something about that when spelling out who he thought should be treated better by the police. Maybe he takes the same view as a police officer in South Lanarkshire, in an incident that was reported to Call it Out, who told an Irishman who had been racially abused, that it couldn’t be racist because he was white.

But Nil by Mouth know what they are talking about—they know that the issue in Scotland is anti-Catholic bigotry—in case you haven’t worked it out yet, Opus Dei is playing the part of the squirrel in this story...

Abuses of power?

If I was to take a guess—an informed guess—I would say that the Police Scotland is riddled with masons and that masonic networks both influence who gets promoted and, perhaps less frequently but more worryingly, how the law is sometimes applied. Remember though, this is Scotland and Masons in Scotland are more commonly aligned with other anti-Catholic organisations than they will be with any of the 50 or so Opus Dei members in the entire population.

I have been told by more than one retired police officer about how being a Catholic within the Police Service of Scotland is not easy, shall we say. They don’t, of course, say that while still employed and they don’t ever say it ‘on the record.’ Perhaps that is why people say there is no such thing as an ex-policeman.

I have no doubt that there will be many—perhaps some in our own community—who will say that Call it Out exaggerates the problem of anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism. There will be some who claim never to have experienced any discrimination. I have met women who say that also. It is a clear misunderstanding of the structural nature of both racism, discrimination and misogyny—sure even the police know that!

What I would like those people to explain is why in 2026 in Scotland you can be a member of an anti-Catholic organisation within our police service and keep it a secret. Police officers—even the most junior ranks—have enormous power over citizens and are held in regard within the court system to such an extent that Sheriffs and Judges rarely question the credibility of their evidence. I observed a number of incidents during the lifetime of the odious Offensive Behaviour at Football Act when police officers so blatantly lied that the Sheriff was forced to discount it. Even then the Sheriffs seemed less outraged that a police officer would lie under oath and more embarrassed at the incompetent way they did it, forcing him to notice it. More often I contend they are simply believed because they are police officers. That is serious power.

So, if you want to roll up your trouser leg and engage in odd ceremonies go ahead. Or if you want to hirple down the street following a group of people clothed in such an excess of bri-nylon that the static could power a small housing scheme, then I, as a tolerant woman would offer no objection—assuming you leave Catholic churches alone. However, if you want to do that—and keep your membership secret—while holding enormous power over your fellow citizens then decent people will object. Dave Scott objects. I object. Anyone with an interest in democracy and the integrity of our laws and their enforcement will object. So let’s hear from Jo Farrell and her colleagues why what Dave Scott has asked for cannot be done and done quickly.

Jeanette Findlay is the Chair of Call It Out: The campaign against anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism