Scottish Catholic Observer

The ads were posted on the sales site Gumtree in December advertising the licence plate ‘S6 FTP’ with an asking price of £900.

An accompanying sales notice read: “S6 FTP Stevie G FTP. Plate for sale for true blue nose, bears. Originally on supporters minibus.”

‘FTP’ is a commonly used acronym for ‘f**k the Pope,’ a phrase used often by some fans of Rangers Football Club, whose supporters go by the nicknames of ‘bears’ and bluenoses.’

Last year, former Rangers player Ian Durrant was criticised for shouting the phrase at a club dinner.

DVLA response

A spokesperson for the DVLA said the vast majority of registration numbers are made available for general issue and for sale and that its policy in respect of withholding registration numbers is to withhold in ‘instances where if displayed on a number plate they are likely to cause offence or embarrassment to the general population.’

“The numbers in question were not deemed unsuitable for release,” he said in regards to the FTP plates advertised on Gumtree.

Asked if they would look to restrict sales of ‘FTP’ plates in future, the spokesperson said: “There are no plans to do so at this time.”

Call it Out

A spokesman for Call it Out, which campaigns against anti-Catholicism and anti-Irish racism, said: “These three letters are a familiar term of abuse in Scotland.

“It is clear from the sale of a number plate bearing these three letters that both seller and buyer recognise the value they have for those who wish to showcase their intolerance in this fashion.

“While there are far more pressing issues relating to anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism, such examples of petty intolerance are nevertheless indicative of a wider problem in our society and reinforce the importance for everyone in Scotland of effectively tackling this issue.”

The advert, placed on December 18, originally priced the personalised registration plate at £1,100.

A second advert for the same plate posted on January 2 read: “Private [registration]. Held on retention document. Valued at £1024 [but] will accept £900. I have plates for posting, money will be split 50/50 by our fishing club and Rangers Youth Academy.”