spiked plus reader Q&A: November 2012

Should there be any speech restrictions at football grounds? Or should football fans be allowed to chant anything they like, even if it’s offensive and obscene? What about racist insults or sectarian songs - should they be allowed too? Why have football stadiums become so controlled in recent years? What drives the authorities’ desire to clamp down on the speech and behaviour of fans, at a time when football hooliganism is in decline? Should we just accept that football is a place where, for 90 minutes a week, you can do or say what you like, or should we expect the same levels of decorum and decency in a football stadium as we would reasonably expect when walking down the street or going shopping?

Now is your chance to put any questions you like to Kevin Rooney of the campaign group Fans for Freedom and Stuart Waiton, author of Snobs’ Law: Criminalising Football Fans in an Age of Intolerance. Rooney and Waiton, who campaign for full freedom of speech in football stadiums, will be taking part in the next Author Q&A for spiked plus. They’ll tackle all your questions, from the friendly and the dirty, so if you are a spiked plus subscriber and have a question for Rooney and Waiton, email it now to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).