Government spokesman said: "The Scottish Government is totally committed to combating sectarianism and bigotry, which is why we have expanded on the work of the previous administration and are doing more. We are working with the clubs themselves, as they are part of the solution to the problem. Kenny Scott, Rangers' Head of Security and Operations, said in October 2008 that conversations with the Strathclyde Police made it clear to the club that there was the potential for supporters singing the song to be arrested. In November 2008, a Rangers fan was found guilty of a breach of the peace (aggravated by religious and racial prejudice) for singing the song during a game in Kilmarnock. At his appeal in June 2009, three Scottish judges ruled that the song is racist because it targets people of Irish origin. Rangers have repeatedly asked their fans not to sing the song. A Rangers fans' organisation, the Rangers Supporters' Trust, denied that the song is racist: It instead described the song as a "wind-up" that is designed to mock not the famine itself, but Celtic fans' perceived affiliations with the Republic of Ireland. In the context of their charitable projects in partnership with Rangers, UNICEF expressed their concern regarding the song and called on the club to ensure it was not sung at their matches. Legal issues In the case of William Walls v. the Procurator Fiscal, Kilmarnock, the High Court of Justiciary held on appeal, in an opinion delivered by Lord Carloway, that: "the song calls upon persons of Irish descent, who are living in Scotland, to go back to the land of their ancestors, namely Ireland [...] they are racist in calling upon people native to Scotland to leave the country because of their racial origins. This is a sentiment which, once more, many persons will find offensive." The appellant, who was convicted for breach of the peace racially aggravated and aggravated by religious prejudice having sung the Famine Song and made a number of other remarks during a football match, had his appeal denied and his conviction upheld. See also Irish diaspora Irish Scottish people Old Firm Sectarianism in Glasgow References Football songs and chants Immigration to Scotland Great Famine (Ireland) Irish diaspora Racism in Scotland Racism in association football Rangers F.C. songs