AN SNP MSP has come under fire after suggesting a disabled Celtic fan who raised concerns about parking should simply support another club instead.
John Mason, who represents Glasgow Shettleston – which includes Celtic Park – emailed the supporter after he raised fears a proposed parking ban would leave him unable to attend games.
In response, Mr Mason wrote: “Could you think of supporting a smaller more local club that would appreciate your adding to their crowd?”
Football website Celtic Quick News, which highlighted the email, branded it appalling “on every level”.
Plans to ban car parking within a mile of Celtic Park during matches are being advanced by Glasgow City Council.
But one Celtic season ticket holder from Newcastle, identified only as Gordon, said he is unable to walk for more than 10 minutes and the move could stop him attending games.
Scottish Conservative MSP Jeremy Balfour, who was born with a physical disability, branded Mr Mason’s response “despicable”.
He said: "John Mason needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. If this was an attempt at humour it failed miserably.
"If he was being serious, that's a disgraceful position which will make many people wonder if he's even fit to be an MSP."
Labour MSP James Kelly said Mr Mason’s comments were “outrageous”.
He added: "Rather than representing the interests of a disabled man who wants to bring his custom and spend his money in John Mason's constituency, he is just telling him to go support another football team.
"It's a ludicrous response from a politician who has been a constant source of embarrassment for the SNP.
"If John Mason's attitude is to tell people to stay away from the East End of Glasgow he'll soon find the voters in Shettleston will send him packing too."
The comments are just the latest in a string of controversies provoked by Mr Mason.
Last year he issued a formal apology after appearing to compare IRA killers to “freedom fighters”.
He was also accused of trivialising rape culture after saying of Scottish independence: “The girl does not always say yes first time.”
In September, he was criticised for suggesting Skye was not a “real island” because a bridge connects it to the mainland.
Mr Mason said he didn’t think people would be offended by his latest remarks if they saw the full email chain, and added he was “used to” people taking things out of context.
He said there was a “huge problem” with inappropriate parking around Celtic Park on match days, adding: “Residents in my constituency are effectively trapped in their homes by fans parking across their driveways, etc.
“They also live in fear of needing an ambulance or fire engine in an emergency as they would struggle to get into many streets.”
He said the parking problems were caused by “perfectly able-bodied fans” wanted to park as close as possible to the stadium.
An SNP spokesman said: “No one should have to consider supporting another football club because of lack of disabled facilities – all clubs have a duty to ensure that disabled supporters can access their stadiums and fully enjoy the match day experience.
“Clubs should be aware of the particular needs of travelling supporters and should do their utmost to ensure they are fairly accommodated.”
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