WHILE browsing through the message board on the Bury FC official web-site one day last week, I came upon an article referring to an anti-racism petition which I though might be worth a look.

To my horror, I found that this article was a personal attack on a group of Bury fans and not the worthwhile cause I thought it to be.

The fans were being accused of shouting racial abuse and using obscene language at the recent Brentford away match. Games against Millwall away this season and Notts County away last season were also cited, with allegations of criminal damage and racist abuse against this group of young men. If they are to be accused of damaging toilets at Millwall's ground, then surely there must be evidence to back up the claim. It is interesting to note that neither the police nor Millwall FC have taken action against anyone.

If their behaviour was so appalling, why weren't they ejected from the ground? I seem to remember a large police presence at all of the games.

I was present at the matches mentioned and I have nothing but praise for their patriotic views. I fail to see how singing "No surrender to the IRA" can be viewed as racist.

These are English men, singing in England about a group of cowardly terrorists, who have regularly attacked and killed English civilians and soldiers.

If more people shared their views then maybe the IRA would have been wiped out years ago. I neither felt threatened or intimidated by their behaviour.

I was stood no more than four feet from this group and did not hear one racist word from them. True, they were quite vocal in their disapproval of several players, but this applied to both black and white players alike.

If you do not share their views then fair enough, but this is a free country with freedom of speech, no matter what the views.

MR D. ROBINSON,

Radcliffe.