Company warned over football T-shirt
A Scottish clothing company has been warned by police over t-shirts expressing the hope that 'Anyone but England' wins this summer's World Cup.
Police have warned proprietors of the Slanj clothing store in Aberdeen that the garment could cause offence.
An impromptu visit from an officer raising concerns over the shirt's sentiments left staff at the shop "flabbergasted".
The visit was not in response to a complaint, and no action has been taken against the company.
However, Grampian Police claim that they would be neglecting their duty if the matter was not addressed.
PC Kirk Hemmings said: "The primary role of any police force is to preserve the peace and we would be failing in our duty if we did not make people aware of the potential for disturbance such a window display could cause.
"The Grampian area, in common with the rest of the country, has recorded incidents relating to nationality and we have a responsibility to do our best to ensure that incidents of this nature are kept to a minimum.
Ross Lyle of Slanj said: "To be honest we're absolutely flabbergasted.
"We have been selling this T-shirt for the past three months and we've had a great response. Even the English people who come into the store think it's a laugh and just a bit of tongue-in-cheek football banter.
"We're certainly not being racist. We are the same race as the English. It's just daft to say it's offensive."
The slogan is believed to have originated from the phrase 'ABU', short for 'Anyone but United', referring to football fans who will support any team that is playing Premier League champions Manchester United.
The t-shirt is described on Slanj's website as "A light hearted dig at our English neighbours and their prospects in the forthcoming World Cup, not that we're bitter or anything, just because we didnae qualify!"
