THE public are to get the chance to raise their concerns about a controversial law designed to stamp out sectarian abuse at football matches as thousands sign up to a campaign calling for it to be scrapped.

A public meeting is being staged which supporters group Fans Against Criminalisation says will discuss how the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 and the police are impacting on the right to protest, hold political views and attend football matches in Scotland.

FAC said: "Speakers will be announced soon but this is an opportunity for those affected to tell their story and to unite around what appears to be a gradual erosion of the civil rights of one group at a time."

The move came as it emerged that in four weeks, over 6,000 people have backed the FAC online campaign for the scrapping of the Act on the grounds that it is "fundamentally illiberal and unnecessarily restricts freedom of expression".

Celtic have called for parts of it to be repealed.

The club made its view known after meeting with FAC which aims to lobby the Scottish Government to repeal the Act.

Celtic said: "We believe that the Act has the potential to discriminate against football supporters."

The public meeting titled The Act, Policing and Civil Liberties in Scotland will be held in St Anne's School in Crownpoint Road, Glasgow on June 10 at 7pm.

The FAC online petition was launched in advance of the August deadline for the government review of the law, when Stirling University researchers are due to publish their findings into how the legislation is operating.

The Scottish Government pushed through the Act in a bid to get tough on sectarianism in the aftermath of the Old Firm 'shame game' in 2011.

Holyrood introduced the legislation in January 2012 and promised a re-examination after two full football seasons of operation and to report back to Parliament one year later.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has previously raised the "potential lack of legal certainty" over the Act as required by Articles six and seven of the European Convention on Human Rights during the legislation's formation.

Almost half of all people taken to court last year under the laws designed to stamp out sectarian abuse at football matches were acquitted, figures show.

There was action taken against 161 people in 2013/14 with not guilty outcomes in 74 cases (48 per cent).

FAC describes itself as "an independent umbrella group comprising the Green Brigade, Celtic Trust, Celtic Supporters Association, Affiliation of Registered Celtic Supporters Clubs and Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs.