Edinburgh derby sees fight break out among Hearts fans after 'offensive' flag rolled out
Hearts fans were caught fighting among themselves during the sold out Edinburgh derby yesterday.
Tempers frayed in the away stand when Jambos fans began brawling with each other after a man unfurled a red, white and blue flag with ‘1690’ and ‘King William of Orange’ emblazoned on it. The loyalist flag is a clear reference to the Battle of the Boyne.
A row then broke out with some Hearts supporters not happy with the content of the flag and fighting erupted among half a dozen men.
The man with the banner is seen throwing punches and several men are involved in the scrap as tempers spill over.
The man, who appeared to be a member of the Gorgie Ultras group, is then seen running away and hiding in the crowd but was later pictured with the flag tied round his neck.
Police officers rushed to the area at the bottom of the stand in a bid to diffuse the situation but it is not known if any arrests have been made as a result of the fracas.
Mobile phone footage of the fighting was posted on social media following the end of the match.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers are aware of a disturbance which took place during the Hibernian versus Hearts football match at Easter Road Stadium on Sunday, 27 October, 2024. Enquiries are ongoing.”
The match was also marred by objects being thrown from the home stands which appeared to strike Hearts defender James Penrice as he prepared to take a throw in.
The left-back could be seen reacting after a missile seemed to hit him on the back and referee Don Robertson was alerted to the incident.
The match itself finished 1-1 with Hibs substitute Mykola Kukharevich scoring with his first touch before teenage striker James Wilson bundled in an equaliser in the 87th minute to earn a point in front of a crowd of 20,011.