- Violence erupted on the streets of Glasgow ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup final.
- Rangers fans wearing balaclavas and Santa hats caused chaos in the city center
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Rangers fans who disguised their identity in blue balaclavas and Santa hats rioted on the streets of Glasgow on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Old Firm derby.
Celtic host Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final which kicks off at 3.30pm and embarrassing scenes took place across the city in the hours before the match.
Images posted on social media show shoppers taking shelter inside establishments while hundreds of supporters refused to stop the police and caused chaos in the city.
Waves of Rangers supporters caused terror in the streets as they rampaged through public areas of the city’s commercial district, running with no regard for anyone in their path and setting off illegal fireworks in broad daylight.
A video posted on social media shows black-clad rioters breaking through a police cordon outside Debenhams on Argyle Street and blatantly ignoring orders to stop.
Flares were also fired at police during the same 25-second clip as smoke billowed through the streets and officers struggled to restore order.
Rangers fans who disguised their identity in blue balaclavas and Santa hats rioted on the streets of Glasgow on Sunday.
A video posted on social media shows black-clad rioters breaking through a police cordon outside Debenhams on Argyle Street.
Another video shared on X shows even more distressing scenes as shoppers crowd the doors in an attempt to avoid the commotion that had begun to turn violent.
Festively motivated rioters ran past police vans and pushed shoppers who had probably visited the city area to take part in Christmas shopping.
Some police officers brandished batons and tried to hit people’s kneecaps as the public screamed in terror.
One police officer managed to corral a small group of balaclava-wearing thugs during the commotion, shouting “go back” repeatedly but was ultimately unable to contain the crowd that broke free.
Some similarly dressed Celtic supporters could also be seen attempting to chase the group of Rangers fans.
Some police officers brandished batons and tried to hit people’s kneecaps as the public screamed in terror.
Christmas shoppers could be seen huddled in doorways as fans lit sparklers in the streets.
Brendan Rogers tries to guide Celtic to the Scottish League Cup title at Hampden Park
A member of the public could also be seen inside a shop closing the doors to protect those inside from the chaos and violence unfolding on the streets just meters away.
The intense rivalry between the two clubs is well documented throughout football history, but fans are generally kept apart and visiting fans are not allowed to enter each other’s ground when the teams face each other.
That rule will change in March after Celtic and Rangers agreed to provide ticket allocations of approximately 5% of stadium capacity for visiting fans.
However, in Sunday’s final an almost equal proportion of fans will fill Hampden Park for the final with a huge police presence to prevent violence breaking out inside the stadium.