MURDERED Trainspotting actor Bradley Welsh dismissed claims that Scotland was experiencing a resurgence in football hooliganism in his final interview before being shot dead last week.
The former boxer and Hibs football casual who dedicated his latter years to community outreach and charity work said social media created an environment that encouraged abuse that people would never resort to in real life.
Read more: Residents tell of shock at shooting of Trainspotting 2 actor in Edinburgh
Welsh said: "They argue with each other over Twitter, but when they go to the football there are so many police and stewards.
"None of these wee kids have had a crack in the mouth.
"If there were no police at the stadiums to protect them, you'd see them all disappear."
The 48-year-old was shot dead on his doorstep in Chester Street, in the west end of Edinburgh, at around 8pm on Wednesday.
Police described it as a "targeted attack" and described the assailant as a casually dressed man wearing a baseball cap who was between 5ft 10in and 6ft tall, with a slim build and a tanned complexion.
Welsh, who played gangland figure Mr Doyle in Trainspotting sequel 'T2', had been returning to the home he shared with his partner and daughter after leaving his Holyrood Boxing gym.
Read more: Police launch murder investigation into death of Bradley Welsh
There have been calls for a tougher crackdown on badly behaved football fans after the a string of matches this season were marred by incidents including coin and missile throwing, pitch invasions, seats being thrown and sectarian chanting.
Welsh told the Sun social media has created a "bunch of entitled kids".
He added: "Nowadays the protagonists area loose collection of young kids and millennials who've never actually been in a proper fight in their life.
"That's why they're acting like in the way they are, racially abusing people, invading the pitch.
"They have been brought up in a social media age where they think they can say and do as they like and get away with it.
"There's a whole generation of kids who think they can act like that with impunity."
Read more: Police release details of suspect in hunt for Bradley Welsh killer
Meanwhile, a neighbour and friend of Welsh has come forward claiming he saw a man fitting the killer's description on the actor's street less than three weeks ago.
The witness told the Sunday Mail that he saw the young man "on his own looking up and down the street very intently as if he was checking something out".
He added: "When he saw me looking at him, he just walked off. I did not think anything of it at the time but I wonder now if he was casing Bradley's house, watching people arriving and leaving."
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