Celtic supporters and Glasgow tourists have reacted to the criticism levied at the unofficial title party celebrations that followed the club's Scottish Premiership victory last month.
Following Celtic's 3-2 win over St Mirren at Celtic Park on Saturday, May 18, Celtic supporters gathered in the Trongate area of the city, as they have done after similar triumphs in recent years.
As part of the Herald's Policing the Parties series, MSPs, tourism industry experts, and even some tourists have shared criticism of the unofficial gatherings – but this has been met with equal resistance from the opposite side of the debate.
Sharing their thoughts on the Celtic subreddit, one user said: "Growing up in Poland I only knew a few things about Scotland: Loch Ness, constant rain, kilts, haggis, bagpipes and the rivalry between Celtic and the other mob.
"If I was in an alternate universe in which I had never moved here and visited Glasgow as a tourist and walked into a sea of green and white I'd be absolutely delighted to see that.
"Snobs can pretend otherwise, but football is the first thing that springs to people's minds across the world when they hear the word 'Glasgow'."
Another user based in America said: "I don’t know, as a tourist from America, if I knew they had just won the cup I would totally expect this and try to enjoy being a part of it, being mindful of safety of course.
"Hell, I might even time my trip to see it in person."
Some commentators suggested that football is an intrinsic part of Glaswegian life and culture, and while illegal behaviour is not condonable, they said that they believe it's the minority behaving in such a manner.
To that end, another Reddit user said: "They’re just people having fun. people with jobs, people with lives, people with mental health issues, family issues etc.
"It's a coming together of the community in a beautiful way.
"[Of course] there are eejits who take it too far, but last year when the title celebrations were on, it was one of the most fun days I’ve had in years."
