Overview

• Internal City of Edinburgh Council safety briefings leaked in June described Oasis attendees as overweight, middle-aged men prone to “medium to high intoxication” and raised crowd management concerns for the sold-out Murrayfield concert coinciding with the Fringe Festival.
• Scottish Secretary Ian Murray publicly condemned those remarks as “snobby” and classist on August 7, criticizing the underlying stereotyping of fans.
• Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe, Murray linked the council’s fan profiling to unequal alcohol policies that prohibit drinking at football games but permit it at rugby matches.
• Liam Gallagher earlier denounced the council’s attitude on social media, calling their assessment foul-smelling and urging officials to leave town on concert day.
• Council leader Jane Meagher defended the authority’s event planning and multi-agency safety preparations and underscored the economic benefits of hosting major performances in the city.