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Gary Lineker finally gets a red card

After we led a week of public outcry and over 10,000 people signed our petition in only a few days calling on Gary Lineker and the BBC to part ways, the message has finally been received.

Today, it was announced that Gary Lineker is departing from the BBC.

The news comes after he shared a video last week, which was widely understood to portray ‘Zionists’ as rats in an echo of Nazi propaganda.

Our calls were amplified by Sharon Osbourne, who commented on our social media post saying, “Bye bye” to the controversial pundit and former footballer.

Mr Lineker’s departure from the BBC was long overdue. This latest incident comes after years of us pointing out his descent. He became a symbol of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster: a man repeatedly allowed to flout the BBC’s own rules on impartiality, abusing his position to promote his increasingly propagandist politics, vilifying those he disagrees with, and even promoting dehumanising and extreme messages.

The BBC tolerated this for years despite our growing calls and in spite of its supposed values, because it no longer lives by them.

Impartiality at the BBC is dead, and Mr Lineker has been Exhibit A.

Gary Lineker could have been the Des Lynam of our generation. Instead, he transformed in front of the nation’s eyes into Mr Not So Nice Guy, an egotist who mistook celebrity for moral authority, a divisive figure who used his fame to inflame.

At last, the final whistle has been blown on his tenure at the BBC, and now it is time to ask how and why management allowed him to play on until now, foul after foul.

Mr Lineker became a high-profile symptom of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster. The BBC is not yet rid of the rot; there is much more work to be done.

Our polling shows that the overwhelming majority — 92% — of British Jews believe media bias against Israel fuels antisemitism, and look on the BBC’s coverage unfavourably. It performs the worst among broadcasters in our poll.

That is why we need a full and independent inquiry into the BBC’s coverage of the Jewish state.

It cannot be the case that the BBC makes one concession and continues with business as usual. Our national broadcaster needs a real shake-up.

Sign our petition, calling for the licence fee to be suspended, pending an investigation!

What does it mean to cancel your licence fee?

If you want to cancel your licence fee but are concerned about the legal consequences, you can read our legal guide at antisemitism.org/canceltvlicence.

Defending the indefensible

Gary Lineker isn’t the only celebrity who has engaged in controversy relating to the Jewish community over the past week.

In a recent video, the provocateur podcaster Russell Brand says that Kanye West’s new song has a “good hook”.

Could the so-called hook be that the phrase “Heil Hitler” is repeated over and over? And the title of the song? Also “Heil Hitler”.

Mr Brand’s attempt to defend Kanye West (also known as Ye) in the face of outrage over Ye’s repeated and unapologetic praise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party isn’t just pathetic — it’s dangerous.

Whether he genuinely believes what he is saying or it’s just a desperate attempt to chase clicks through controversy, the outcome is the same: Mr Brand trivialises one of history’s darkest chapters.

Six million Jewish men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. To this day, the global Jewish population has still not recovered.

Playing with Nazi slogans is not edgy or brave, and neither is Russell Brand.

End of the line

Farrukh Najeeb Husain, a solicitor who was struck off by the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) last year in a case in which Campaign Against Antisemitism gave expert testimony, has lost his appeal at the High Court.

The case was originally brought by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) against Mr Husain. Following the hearing, the SDT found a number of his social media posts to be antisemitic and offensive.

The SRA investigated Mr Husain, an immigration and employment solicitor, following complaints regarding his conduct on X, which was reported to the regulator by Bevan Brittan, a law firm that employed him at the time.

The SRA claimed that Mr Husain’s conduct online was “offensive” and, in some cases, antisemitic. Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, gave expert witness testimony to assist the SRA in its case.

Farrukh Najeeb Husain’s posts were vile, there was no evidence of remorse for his actions, and in the words of Mr Justice Chamberlain, “No lesser sanction than striking off would suffice.”

Mr Husain was represented at the High Court by none other than Franck Magennis, a barrister who counts among his other clients the Hamas terrorist organisation. We will have more to tell you about Mr Magennis next week.

There must be zero tolerance for bigotry in the legal profession.

Manchester Students’ Union backs down after action by Campaign Against Antisemitism

A scandalous and potentially criminal ‘Solidarity with Palestine Policy’ motion has been withdrawn by the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union, following action from Campaign Against Antisemitism and others in the community.

One part of the motion read: “International law enshrines a right to resist occupation. Additionally, lawyers and scholars have argued that the use of armed military force by a people exercising the right to self-determination when all other avenues of resistance have been exhausted is legitimate under international law, and that the right of an occupied people to armed resistance is an extension of the right to national self-defence. On the other hand, the right to national self-defence does not extend to occupying nations in the land they are occupying. International law forbids occupying or oppressor nations from taking military action to suppress self-determination. This position has recently been reaffirmed by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.”

It also stated: “In recognising that, as an occupied nation, the people of Palestine have the right to armed resistance under international law.”

Our lawyers reviewed this policy and wrote to the University.

This proposal never should have been even drafted, let alone proposed. Jewish students have the same right to feel safe on their campus as any other group.

While there was no remorse in the announcement of the withdrawal, this success is an example of regulations working to protect a vulnerable community on campus.

We will continue to tackle extremism and antisemitism on university campuses wherever we find it.

Unity Shapes Love?

Eurovision is supposed to be a celebration of togetherness, using music to bring nations closer.

This year, however, the competition has served as a stark reminder of the harsh reality faced by Jews and Israelis. Prior to the event, Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning advising Jews and Israelis visiting Switzerland to “avoid displaying Israeli and Jewish symbols in public” for their own safety.

This warning was all the more chilling given that Israel’s Eurovision entrant was Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the horrific 7th October Nova music festival massacre, where a reported 364 people were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.

Ms Raphael only managed to survive by hiding under a dead body in a bomb shelter for eight long hours.

Despite all of this, there were still those calling for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision. Indeed Graham Norton, providing commentary on the show for the BBC, observed the “controversy” around Israel’s participation but did not mention Ms Raphael’s biography. A fairer broadcaster might have decided to mention both or neither; but the BBC is not a fair broadcaster.

This year’s Eurovision theme was “Unity Shapes Love”. Some would do well to remember that ‘unity’ includes Jews.

So we decided to go to Soho and, in view of the ordeal that Ms Raphael went through on 7th October 2023, hand out yellow ribbons for the hostages in Gaza to Eurovision fans.

Not everyone was happy to take one…Watch the full video here.

But it’s not all bad news.

Despite incessant efforts to intimidate and even attack Ms Raphael, she performed well enough to win the public vote in the UK and across Europe, coming second overall (including jury votes).

It is an inspiration to see someone go through what Ms Raphael did a year and a half ago and rise to such heights.

Welcome home, Edan!

After 584 days in the hands of Hamas terrorists, Edan Alexander has finally returned home.

We will continue to call for the release of all the hostages, who remain in unimaginably brutal conditions. Every day that passes is another day too long.

Bring them home.

Are you a medical professional, or a recent patient?

We are collecting testimonies on antisemitism in the medical field.

We are interested to hear from doctors and other medical practitioners, staff, patients and anyone else who has encountered antisemitism in medicine over the past year and a half.

If you have been affected, please e-mail us at [email protected] with the subject: “Medical”.

It is vital that victims make their voices heard. We cannot raise awareness of antisemitism in medicine without your help.

We understand the significance of professional and privacy concerns, which is why victims trust us to amplify their voices and get justice. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are recruiting!

Do you want to support Jewish students on campus and develop the skills and experience to become a powerful voice in the fight against antisemitism?

We are looking for a full-time paid intern for up to twelve months, starting in September 2025.

You will be working alongside our Education Officer in our Central London office.

For more information and to apply, please visit antisemitism.org/jobs.We fight because nobody should be above the law or social norms. Gary Lineker thought that he was invincible. Today, he has learned otherwise.

If you want to support our work holding public personalities to account when nobody else will, you can do so here.

The campaign to humble Mr Lineker has taken years. Our persistence is thanks to your support.

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Thousands sign CAA petition demanding the BBC to cut ties with Gary Lineker

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a petition demanding that the BBC cuts ties with Gary Lineker after he shared an anti-Israel video.

The petition can be found here at actionnetwork.org/petitions/firelineker.

The post, which was shared on his Instagram account, has now been removed. The post contained an anti-Israel video which misrepresented Zionism and featured a rat emoji.

Yesterday, Mr Lineker issued an apology, saying: “It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.”

He also said: “I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”

The petition can be found here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/firelineker.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Gary Lineker is playing the public for fools by pretending to be one. He claims to want to spread awareness about events in the Middle East but also claims to be so ignorant as to be unaware of the dehumanising connotations of a rat symbol.

“Such aloofness and reckless indifference would be appalling from any public figure, but Mr Lineker is the BBC’s number one star, and has built himself a media empire that gives him immense influence. That comes with an accountability that Mr Lineker has repeatedly refused to accept. Mr Lineker has had too many chances to act with greater responsibility. The time has passed for him to apologise. The BBC must remove him now.

“Frankly, the fact that he is still there is a sign of a much deeper rot and culture of impunity at the BBC, which has only emboldened people like Mr Lineker, allowed bigots to become journalists and influencers, and even led to the BBC’s humiliating admission that it sent money to the family of a Hamas official. That rot will only end when firm action is taken and an example made of those who are turning our national broadcaster into a national embarrassment.”

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Is this year shaping up to be any different?

A lot of British Jews and our friends — and those who care about the social fabric in Britain — have been wondering whether 2025 is going to turn the page on more than a year of the worst antisemitism and extremism that our country has seen in living memory.

Over the holiday period and heading into the new year, we at Campaign Against Antisemitism have been just as busy as ever.

Much as we would like to provide reassurance on the direction of travel for antisemitism and the Jewish community over the coming year, it is still too early to tell.

However, among the persistent bad news, there have recently been some positive developments.

Are the Met Police finally changing course?

Our Demonstration and Events Monitoring Unit continues to monitor anti-Israel rallies across the country, and we continue to see antisemitic or terrorist-sympathising signage and rhetoric at these protests, such as a sign at a demonstration in Leeds featuring the inverted red triangle symbol. This symbol has been used by some anti-Israel activists to signal support for proscribed terrorist organisations such as Hamas, inspired by the appearance of the symbol in Hamas propaganda videos to indicate targets for attack.

While we have all become used to such expressions of support for Hamas and the murder of Israeli Jews on our streets, we will continue to call them out and take action, so that our society does not allow this conduct to become normalised.

But down in London, the Met has for once heeded calls by the Jewish community to divert the next big Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march — which, if it’s anything like previous protests, will also feature plenty of antisemitism — away from local synagogues holding weekly Shabbat morning services.

Naturally, the PSC and its supporters are furious; the very idea of accommodating Jewish concerns – whether or not the organisers consider them to be founded or not – is apparently unacceptable to them.

The Met has stuck to its proverbial guns, however, and imposed restrictions under the Public Order Act, prohibiting the march from assembling near Broadcasting House because of the close proximity of a synagogue that has been significantly affected by the almost-weekly demonstrations.

The Met has finally stood up to the bullies. This is the bare minimum that should be expected, and it is outrageous that it has taken over a year to see this sort of action, in spite of calls by us and others for a change in policing policy. Still, at least it’s a start.

Naturally, the PSC is refusing to comply. So the question is — as ever — how the march will be policed on the day, and how strictly the Met’s conditions will be enforced. Will those who brandish antisemitic signs and chant antisemitic chants be dealt with?

We will be watching.

There have also been arrests here and there, such as an individual who protested a public Menorah lighting by Chabad in Islington, North London during Chanukah.

Good news in the courts

In the courts too, there has been good news.

A man who published antisemitic posts online, including one that called to “eradicate every Zionist,” was sentenced to twelve months in prison.

Mohammed Nafees Ahmed, 32, of Tipton, was sentenced at the Old Bailey for eight offences of supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. The offences related to several posts from his X account, including one that read, “Your fool, long live Palestine long live hamas [sic],” in response to then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s condemnation of attacks carried out by the terrorist group in Israel on 7th October 2023.

Another post, published only four days after the attacks, read: “Wipe them off the map. Death to Israel and America.” Other posts celebrated Israeli soldiers being killed. In response to a post by Sir Keir Starmer celebrating Chanukah in December 2023, he wrote, “You Zionist, your time will come,” accompanied by an emoji of a knife.

Meanwhile, two individuals convicted of expressing support for Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, have had their pre-trial appeals dismissed by the Court of Appeals.

The three judges, headed by the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, upheld the convictions delivered by crown courts in two separate cases. In their judgment, the justices underscored that a defendant’s knowledge of whether an organisation is proscribed does not need to be proved by the prosecution to make out an offence under terror legislation.

On the far-right, a Lancashire taxi driver responsible for setting up “Southport Wake Up”, a far-right Telegram channel that was used to instigate and organise the summer riots last year and who has a history of engaging with neo-Nazi ideology, was sentenced to seven and half years’ imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court following a guilty plea to charges of encouraging violent disorder and carrying a knife.

Messages in the Telegram channel that Andrew McIntyre, 39, set up included “support neither brown nor Jew,” while another described Hitler as “the only politician since Roman times to truly care for his people”. In the same message, the user wrote: “The Jewish people fabricated the Holocaust…Today, Jewish media, NGOs, finance, business, entertainment and a huge overrepresentation in government, are doing the same all over Europe. The fight will be long brothers, but we will succeed. Never capitulate.”

Mr McIntyre was found to have sent a message in the channel urging people to target mosques and synagogues and referred to “k*ke ideology”. It was also revealed that days after rioters had attacked hotels housing migrants and asylum seekers, he shared a video of the Christchurch mosque attack in 2019 with the caption: “WHITE LEGEND. F*** ISLAM, F*** JEWS.”

It is vital that all types of extremism are confronted with the same vigour and treatment by our judicial system.

A mixed bag in the media

The BBC has apologised for an atrocious interview with Rabbi Gideon Sylvester. This was one of the starkest examples of anti-Jewish BBC bias that we have ever encountered.

When you invite a Rabbi to discuss Chanukah in wartime, the bare minimum is to ask questions about Chanukah. Instead, Rabbi Sylvester was subjected to an aggressive interrogation about Israel accompanied by images of war before being cut off in mid-sentence, in glaring contrast to the respectful and sympathetic treatment of the Imam and Reverend interviewed earlier in the day. Not a single question about Chanukah or Jewish suffering in the region right now. Absolutely despicable. The only silver lining is that Rabbi Sylvester acquitted himself very well in the circumstances.

It is yet further evidence that the BBC abandoned the principles of fair journalism a long time ago. The BBC’s quiet apology to the rabbi is only a start. This was a collective effort — producers, editors, anchors, and researchers all demonstrating an unspoken prejudice that this is how Jews or anyone connected with the Jewish state should be treated, in contrast to the respectful treatment of anyone who criticises the Jewish state.

When will our national broadcaster explain to British Jews and the wider public how it is going to address its internal rot?

The apology was an outlier, however.

More typical of the BBC is this headline, which unequivocally declares that journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israel. But buried in the body of the article is the rather significant line: “The BBC has not been able to verify claims made by either side.” So the BBC is effectively reporting something as fact that it itself admits may not be a fact.

Unsurprisingly, this maybe-fact portrays the Jewish state negatively.

Our polling consistently shows that overwhelming proportions of British Jews believe that media bias against Israel fuels antisemitism. Not that the BBC will let that come in the way of bad journalism.

Over on LBC, a summary of Matthew Wright’s line of questioning towards towards his guest, The JC Editor Jake Wallis Simons:

‘You’re a “Jewish man”: tell us the “Jewish figure” for how many children the Jews have killed in Gaza.

‘Now let’s turn to discuss antisemitism in the UK and what we can do about it.’

With interviews like that, it’s a total mystery!

Three retailers take action

Three retailers have taken action following contact from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Customers had been complaining for days to the local Pret A Manger in St John’s Wood to remove antisemitic graffiti reading “Zionists are child killers” from the public toilet door, but only after we contacted the branch the graffiti was finally removed.

It should have happened faster and should not have required our intervention over and above the dozens of complaints that the branch received, but ultimately the offensive vandalism was rightly addressed.

After being alerted by customers, we also contacted the Camden branch of clothing outlet Urban Outfitters about graffiti reading “F*** Zionism” in one of the changing rooms, following which the graffiti was scribbled out.

These are obviously only two examples of graffiti that we have all seen repeatedly over the past fifteen months. It is appalling that rhetoric of this sort has become so visibly widespread.

Estarli agreed to remove from its social media platforms footage of a BDS Israel boycott sticker displayed on a bicycle in one of its video advertisements after we alerted the e-bike maker to its inclusion.

The retailer wrote to us saying: “We are very sorry if we have caused any offence. We hold no prejudices and when we film with customers we do not know how they have personalised their bikes and we do not stage what they wear or have on their bikes. We were not aware of this sticker when we filmed nor when we made the video. We will now remove it from any content it appears in and we will be more vigilant in the future. Sorry again.”

Leaving aside the role of particular Estarli in this case, the notion that a sticker like this is prevalent enough that it features in apparently randomly filmed scenes underscores just how normalised the anti-Israel rhetoric has become, and thus why it has such an impact on British Jews.

If you become aware of antisemitic graffiti or inflammatory political messages at commercial premises or in promotional material, please e-mail us at [email protected].

World Bowls Tour reverses a terrible decision

At the very end of the year, the World Bowls Tour caved to pressure from the anti-Israel mob, banning competitors from the Jewish state from participating in the Bowls World Indoor Championships.

“Bowls is a sport that unites people,” the organisation declared. Except, apparently, Jews, who were excluded. This decision was a disgrace to international sport. Athletes should be judged by their skill, not their race, ethnicity or nationality. Unfortunately, that principle did not seem to apply to Jewish athletes.

Thankfully, the decision was quickly reversed after an outcry.

World Bowls Tour apologised and arranged for “an increase in the security presence at the event,” thereby apparently making possible a restoration of the invitation to participants from the Jewish state to attend.

While it is shameful that the Israeli athletes had been disinvited in the first place, it was a reassuring end to the matter and a welcome happy note on which to bring 2024 to a close.

It does not take long before a major catastrophe is blamed, somehow, on the Jews.

Naturally, then, the haters sought a way to connect the Los Angeles fires with the Jews or the Jewish state.

Among them is the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese. She also recently posted in support of the conspiracist and disgraced academic David Miller, before (inexplicably, for her) deleting her tweet.

We continue to call for the UN to remove her from her position — and on the UK Government to pressure the UN to do so.

Our hearts go out to those affected by the fires.

It’s a terrible shame that antisemites prefer hate to empathy and will use any opportunity to incite against the Jews.

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Modern-day pogrom in Amsterdam as antisemitic thugs attack Israeli Jews

Last night, Jewish Israeli football fans were reportedly targeted in a series of violent attacks.

We have received reports of shocking scenes across Amsterdam last night, where Jewish Israeli football fans appear to have been targeted in a series of violent attacks. Footage from the evening shows people running for their lives, an unconscious body being kicked in the street and a man begging for mercy as attackers yell ‘Free Palestine’.

Others were reportedly run over, and at least one man apparently had to jump into a canal to avoid further attack.

Information is still emerging but it appears that these attacks were pre-planned, with bands waiting at designated spots with knowledge of where the Israeli Jewish fans were and were staying. The attackers were reportedly armed with knives, clubs and other weapons, with information about the locations of fans even provided by taxi drivers.

It has been reported that Israel is sending rescue planes for the Jewish football fans.

The assailants are believed to be of Moroccan heritage.

It is understood that five people have been taken to hospital with injuries and Dutch police have arrested 62 people, but details about the arrests still remain scant.

Dutch authorities have said that they will provide extra police to the city and that there will be increased security around Jewish buildings over coming days.

One of the supporters said of the evening: “We don’t feel safe. You come to the game to have fun, but I can’t believe what happened here. I come here for a holiday, but it looked like a war zone.”

Media coverage of the event has been appalling, with many major outlets rushing to victim-blame the Israeli fans and play down the apparently orchestrated violence against the them.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is what ‘globalising the intifada’ looks like. We are receiving shocking reports of people running for their lives, unconscious bodies being kicked in the street and people begging for mercy as attackers yell ‘Free Palestine’. These images mirror early 20th century pogroms in Europe and elsewhere, where Jews were sought out by mobs and either ran or faced being beaten in the streets, or worse. We are witnessing levels of antisemitism not seen in our lifetime, and it is of the utmost importance that Britain acts against the antisemitic thugs here at home who have become increasingly emboldened. This is what happens when lax policing for over a year repeatedly succumbs to the mob. When are we going to wake up?”

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Head of Algerian Olympic committee blames “Zionist” conspiracy for gender row

The head of the Algerian Olympic committee has claimed that a boxer at the centre of a gender row is the victim of a “Zionist” conspiracy.

Speaking before the women’s 66kg division quarter-final against Hungarian Luca-Anna Hamori – which guaranteed that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif would win at least a bronze medal – Yassine Arab, the director of Algeria’s Olympic and Sports Committees, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Khelif had been attacked by “Zionists”.

“The Zionist lobby” wanted to “break the mind” of Imane, he declared. “They don’t want a Muslim girl or Arabic girl [to go] higher in the level of the rank of female boxing,” he said.

The row, over Ms Khelif’s eligibility to fight as a woman, followed claims she was a man and a “bullying cheat” after her Italian opponent withdrew from their bout after only 46 seconds.

Angela Carini said that she had pulled out of the bout to “save my life” after claiming that the Algerian boxer hit her so hard she could not breathe.

Ms Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships – organised by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) – after the boxer failed gender eligibility tests. The results of the IBA tests – which exclude persons with XY chromosomes from competing against other women – have not been disclosed, but the body has said Ms Khelif had a “competitive advantage”.

It has never been proven that Ms Khelif has XY chromosomes and she has never identified as transgender or intersex.

Speaking to Qatari sports network, BeIN Sports, she declared that the IBA was being “unfair” with her and that she wanted “to tell the entire world” that she was female, and would “remain a female.” She said she was dedicating her medal to “all the Arabs” adding: “Long live Algeria.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

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CAA is mobilising, and the fightback has begun

As we continue to process the news in Israel and pray for the swift rescue of the hostages, antisemitism is surging in the UK.

On our streets, on campuses and online, in our workplaces, schools and even in the playground, we are seeing the glorification of terrorism and antisemitic hate, and on our television screens our national broadcaster cannot bring itself to call terror by its name.

At Campaign Against Antisemitism, we have been mobilising. The fightback has begun.

The volunteers of our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit have gathered evidence from the demonstrations this weekend and over the past week. We have also heard from you in unprecedented numbers, receiving a constant flow of messages and tips. Our staff and volunteers have worked around the clock to monitor, document and process evidence, and we have referred a multitude of individuals and organisations to the police and regulatory authorities, and we continue to do so at a rapid pace. If they fail to act, we will hold them to account.

If you have information that you would like to share with us, please e-mail [email protected].

We have written to the BBC about its refusal to describe Hamas as “terrorists”, called for Ofcom to intervene, and led the national media campaign to pressure the broadcaster to call terror by its name. We have also requested that the Culture, Media and Sport Committee hold an urgent hearing, are promoting a petition and are co-sponsoring a rally on Monday evening outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House in London. To join the tens of thousands who have already signed the petition, please sign here.

We have also written to the FA and Premier League to express our disgust at the decision not to illuminate Wembley Stadium and to prohibit the waving of Israeli flags at matches this weekend.

We have launched a billboard campaign around London featuring the faces of infants and children taken hostage by Hamas, as part of a campaign to ensure that the public does not so quickly forget not only those murdered by the terrorists but also those still in their clutches.

It is a frightening prospect, but the same ideology that brought about the horrors in the south of Israel is present in the UK. Our fight here is part of the same war that our brethren are fighting in Israel: it is simply another front. We need the resources to fight back.

On top of it all, our regular work continues. In the past few days, for example, we secured the extradition of a fugitive French Holocaust-denier back to France, where he will now face the justice that he has evaded for too long.

As a volunteer-led organisation, our priority is manpower. This week, we have mobilised a huge number of new volunteers, to ensure that everybody who can play a part has the opportunity to do so. Thank you to the many of you who have stepped forward. To join them, please visit antisemitism.org/mobilise.

Still, we are a charity, and the surge in demand for our services means that we must raise funds to meet it. We must also prepare for what may come next: while the support from the Government and the authorities and the support that we are seeing for Israel and the Jewish community is welcome, history shows that it may be transient. We must have the resources in place now to ensure that their words translate into action over the weeks and months ahead.

To that end, we are launching an urgent crowdfunding appeal this week. We recognise that we are not the only worthy cause asking for your help at this time, and any support that you can contribute will go directly to the fight against those who mean harm to our people. To make a donation now, please visit antisemitism.org/donate.

This is the worst situation faced by Jews worldwide since 2014, when we were founded. As an organisation and as a community, we are incomparably better placed to wage it. But we need your help to do so.

Those who glorify terrorism and delight in the massacre of Jews, and those who use the events still unfolding as cover for antisemitic acts should be under no misapprehension: we will pursue justice against you.

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In efforts to combat antisemitism and celebrate Jewish identity, Chelsea creates Jewish supporters group

Chelsea Football Club has created a supporters group for its Jewish members.

According to a statement on the Club’s website, “the creation of the group builds on the work Chelsea FC and Chelsea Foundation have delivered over the last five years,” going on to state: “In January 2018, the club and Foundation launched Say No To Antisemitism – a consolidated campaign and programme focusing on education, support and awareness with the message that antisemitism, or any form of discrimination, has no place in our club or society.”

Stephen Nelken, founder of the Jewish Supporters Group, said: “As a life-long Chelsea fan, I have been impressed and proud of the work the club has done to combat antisemitism and discrimination.” 

He added: “The intention in founding this group is to celebrate Jewish identity, support the excellent work the club is doing and encourage like-minded fans to come together to support Chelsea.”

Hollie Varney, Kick It Out COO, said of the group: “We’re delighted to see Chelsea FC and their community of Jewish supporters working together to create a space for Jewish fans to express and celebrate their culture and identity. ‘Chelsea FC has been at the forefront of the drive to combat antisemitism in football and this announcement is a fantastic step to creating an inclusive and welcome environment for the club’s Jewish fanbase.”

Earlier this year, Arsenal Football Club announced the launch of a new affiliate called “Jewish Gooners”, partly in response to antisemitism among supporters.

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Matt le Tissier reportedly shares content claiming Osama Bin Laden was Mossad agent

Matt le Tissier, a retired footballer, has reportedly shared content which claims that Osama Bin Laden was a Mossad agent.

The post, which was published by a different user on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter, was accompanied by an inflammatory thread that said: “Who is Osama Bin Laden, well it may come to shock you that his actual name is Tim Osman, or Colonel Tim Osman, a CIA asset and Mossad agent who worked with the Justice Department.”

It continued: “The establishment media complex wants you to believe that the highest ranking terrorist known in America was simply assassinated after decades of failure to find him, then put on board an old Vietnam-era chopper only to be thrown into the sea thus eliminating all evidence.”

Alongside the post published the other user, Mr le Tissier wrote, “what a thread”.

Included in the thread of the post was a video featuring James Fetzer, an American academic who is known to promote Holocaust-denial and conspiracy theories. Mr Fetzer previously wrote: “My research on the Holocaust narrative suggests that it is not only untrue but provably false and not remotely scientifically sustainable.”

In the video, Mr Fetzer reportedly appears to describe accounts of the 9/11 attacks as “not just false but provably false”. He also allegedly claimed: “This whole project emanated in the fertile imagination of [Israeli Prime Ministers] Bibi Netanyahu and Ehud Olmert…to promote the Israeli agenda by drawing American forces into the Middle East.”

One of the posts in the thread appeared to reference the ‘dancing Israelis’ conspiracy theory: “Even though being suspects in the largest terror attack in our nation’s history, they were released.”

‘Dancing Israelis’ is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that alleges that five Israeli Mossad agents were witnessed by police to be dancing and celebrating the 9/11 attacks on a rooftop when they took place. It also alleges that the Israelis were involved in the attacks and that Jewish people were pre-warned to stay away from the buildings that day. 

It is understood that other comments in the thread denied the plausibility of the attacks entirely. 

In 2020, Mr le Tissier apologised for comparing rules on mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic to the Holocaust in a highly controversial and ill-considered social media post.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy called “fat bald Jew” following Harry Kane transfer

The Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has faced antisemitic abuse online over the impending transfer of a key player. 

Daniel Levy has been the target of antisemitic posts online following the negotiation over Tottenham’s Harry Kane with FC Bayern Munich. 

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, users have said that “Levy is such a Jew,” and “Daniel Levy what a Jew.”

Yet another user said “Daniel Levy is the worst owner ever, just f***in move on and accept the current conditions you fat bald jew [sic].”

Other users wrote “This is the Jew in Levy coming out,” and “Levy my friend this is prime Jew.”

A post on a Bayern Munich fan account read: “Kane wants to join us. We would never sent the bid to that Jew had Kane not cleared to Bayern bosses that he wants to join…even [football journalists] Plettenberg and Fabrizio have confirmed that personal terms are clear. It’s just Levy being a p**** now [sic].”

One user reported on X that they had experienced similar rhetoric from a customer who described Mr Levy as a “Jew boy”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Chelsea fan given lifetime ban over antisemitic tweets

A Chelsea Football Club supporter who sent antisemitic tweets to a Jewish journalist has been given a lifetime ban by the club.

Kerry Hardwell, 35 from Bognor, was found to have targeted fellow Chelsea supporter Dan Levene with abusive tweets. 

Mr Hardwell pleaded guilty at Worthing Magistrates’ Court to three charges of sending communications with offensive messages and one charge of sending an offensive message by a public communication network. 

The tweets were sent during a ten-year span from 2012 to 2022.

Mr Hardwell was handed a three-year Football Banning Order by the court, which restricts his access to attending professional football matches in England. However, the Club has confirmed that he has received a lifetime ban from attending Chelsea games.

He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work, which was uplifted from 120 hours owing to the religiously/racially aggravated nature of the crime.

According to Mr Levene, an investigation revealed that Mr Hardwell had published over 50 antisemitic Twitter posts, which included referring to Jews as ‘vermin’ and ‘parasites’. In one tweet, he allegedly called businessman and television personality Alan Sugar a “Yid c***”.

In his witness statement read out to the court, Mr Levene said: “The ‘Y-word’ is three letters that are often thrown away by people who may claim they don’t fully appreciate their collective meaning; with some football fans among that number.

“But everyone, most notably the defendant here, should be aware that it is a racially offensive word – and its use in a pejorative sense, as in this case, is a hate crime. This word, and variants of it, have been used throughout history by extremists to demonise and persecute a minority. My minority. This history is relevant, because it explains the pernicious nature of the word’s usage today.”

A spokesperson for Chelsea Football Club said: “Chelsea FC condemns antisemitic abuse and hate speech in all its forms and we have no tolerance for it at our club. As soon as Sussex Police made us aware, Mr Hardwell was suspended pending the outcome of criminal proceedings. 

“Subsequent to Mr Hardwell’s conviction, we can confirm that he has been issued with a lifetime ban from Chelsea FC. We commend Dan Levene for coming forward. Nobody should have to be subject to the type of disgusting abuse he has had to endure.”

Sussex Police’s Dedicated Football Officer PC Darren Balkham said: “The vitriol in the messages were sent in the belief that because the person was behind a keyboard, they wouldn’t be identified. The defendant was wrong, and Harding will now have learned this lesson. There is no place for antisemitic and racist abuse, either in football or in society.”

Douglas Mackay of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “These antisemitic tweets were extremely upsetting and deeply offensive not only to the victim, but also to all those within and outside the Jewish community. Hatred of any kind has no place in society. Wherever there is sufficient evidence and in the public interest, the CPS will not hesitate to prosecute those who engage in such abhorrent and reprehensible behaviour.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jewish football fans deserve to enjoy the beautiful game free of vile antisemitic abuse. We commend Chelsea Football Club for giving a lifetime ban to this racist online troll, and also Dan Levene for having the courage and tenacity to report this case and see it through.”

In 2021, the Club announced that it had banned Sam Mole, an abusive online troll, from its matches for ten years after he hounded Mr Levene who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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“Baseball legend” Johnny Bench apologises for inflammatory joke about Jews

Johnny Bench, a former player for the baseball team the Cincinnati Reds, has reportedly apologised for making a controversial joke about Jews. 

The joke was made at a news conference for Hall of Fame inductions. Gabe Paul, a former General Manager of the team who passed away in 1998, was one of the individuals who was being inducted. 

Mr Paul’s daughter, Jennie Paul, attended the conference to represent her late father. 

Mr Bench’s remarks were made in response to a story about Mr Paul having signed a player for $400 a month, to which an audience member shouted: “That’s cheap!” 

Mr Bench then said: “He was Jewish.”

Of her father’s Jewish identity, Ms Paul said: “[The Major League Baseball] turned down the commissionership because he was Jewish. A lot of people don’t know that.”

In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Bench said: “I recognise my comment was insensitive. I apologised to Jennie for taking away from her father the full attention he deserves. 

“Gabe Paul earned his place in the Reds Hall of Fame, same as the others who stood on that stage, I am sorry that some of the focus is on my inappropriate remark instead of solely on Gabe’s achievement.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States and continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Arsenal supporter who shouted “Hitler should have finished the job” sentenced

An Arsenal Football Club supporter who shouted “Hitler should have finished the job” was sentenced today at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court.

Daniel Down, 29, pleaded guilty and was sentenced for using threatening, abusive, distressing words at a football match on 15th January 2023 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

The charges, which were racially or religiously aggravated, were brought against him by the Crown Prosecution Service after he shouted “Hitler should have finished the job” at a match between Arsenal Football Club and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

The prosecution noted that the victim, who reported the incident to the police, had immediately told Mr Down that he took “great offence” at what Mr Down said and explained that members of his family had died in the Holocaust. 

The prosecution also noted that Mr Down had apologised to the victim immediately and had attended a police interview without legal counsel. 

Upon sentencing, the Judge said: “Mr Down, what you did was egregious in the extreme…You are a young man of 29, you ought to have known better.” 

In light of his plea and apology to the victim, the Judge gave Mr Down a court order that bans him from attending football matches in the UK for three years. He was also ordered to pay a total of £471 in fines, which includes a victim surcharge of £110. 

Earlier this year, Arsenal Football Club launched a new affiliate called “Jewish Gooners”, partly in response to antisemitism among supporters.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Italy pledges to crack down on antisemitism in football 

Italian officials have signed a letter committing to crack down on antisemitic incidents at football matches.

The declaration forbids the use of racist and antisemitic language and symbols, which are not uncommon at matches.

For example, it prohibits players and fans from wearing the number 88, which refers to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H, and is often used by neo-nazis as a code for “Heil Hitler”.

The letter also sets out guidelines detailing how to suspend matches in cases of discriminatory incidents. 

Matteo Piantedosi, the Interior Minister, said that the initiative represents a “great contribution” to Italian football.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The ban on 88 shirts is part of a package of significant measures introduced by Italian football in the wake of a number of antisemitic incidents that have rocked the sport. The initiative includes the alignment of a code of ethics with the International Definition of Antisemitism, and a new policy to treat antisemitism like other forms of racism, including by suspending matches if supporters engage in antisemitic chants. Together, this is a serious and welcome package of reforms to combat anti-Jewish hatred in Italian football. We will be watching its effects.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout Europe.

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Arsenal in talks with police over investigation into Whatsapp group

Arsenal Football Club is in contact with the police as part of its investigation into posts sent through a fan-led Whatsapp group that the Club supports. 

The investigation relates to messages sent in 2019 through a group chat for Ashburton Army, an organisation for Arsenal supporters. Whilst the group itself is separate from the Club, it is known to receive access to a number of lower-tier tickets for Arsenal games, for which its members can then apply. 

It is understood that the content of the messages includes references to the Holocaust, Jewish circumcision and conspiracy theories, among other topics. 

Ashburton Army said: “We strongly condemn any form of racism and antisemitic talk as we are a group with many religions and races and have Jewish members. We will continue to educate members and work with the club throughout the investigation.”

The Metropolitan Police Service has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, but no arrests have been made. 

Arsenal have said that it “strongly condemns the abusive and discriminatory language being used” and has confirmed that it is in contact with police regarding the messages. 

Earlier this year, Arsenal announced the launch of a new affiliate group called “Jewish Gooners”, whose purpose is to combat antisemitism and cultivate a more “inclusive” environment for Jewish fans. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Over 150 Dutch footballs fans arrested over antisemitic Chants en route to match

Dutch police arrested over 150 football supporters for chanting antisemitic slurs.

AT5, a local news station, reported that those arrested were AZ Alkmaar supporters. 

The incident occurred close to Ajax Amsterdam’s stadium at a metro station on 6th May.

Amsterdam has had multiple Jewish chairman and is widely viewed in the country as the ‘Jewish club’. Consequently, this was not the first time that supporters of teams playing against Ajax Amsterdam have chanted antisemitic slurs about the team.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout Europe.

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Antisemitic slurs directed at high school’s lacrosse team during match

Antisemitic slurs were directed at members of an Ohio high school’s lacrosse team. 

During a match on 1st May at Elyria Catholic High School, the slurs were shouted at Orange High School’s team, many of whose players are Jewish.

Orange’s Superintendent Lyn Campbell said: “We are actively investigating the situation, and details will be provided to Elyria Catholic so appropriate actions can be taken by their administration.”

This is the second time in the past year that Orange School’s lacrosse team has faced antisemitism during a game. In May 2022, Rachel Glazer, a student at Orange High School, reported that a member of Lake Catholic High School’s lacrosse team had a swastika drawn on his calf which was visible during the game. 

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Jewish professional wrestler Simon Miller speaks on antisemitism in wrestling

Simon Miller, a Jewish professional wrestler and one of the presenters of the WhatCulture Wrestling YouTube channel, which regularly posts wrestling-related content to over 2 million subscribers, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke on how issues of Jewish identity and antisemitism have been dealt with in the wrestling industry, both on and off-screen.

Mr Miller discussed how the Jewish identity of the wrestling manager and on-screen character Paul Heyman, who currently works in the global wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and, in a documentary on the WWE Network, revealed that his mother was a Holocaust survivor, has been presented in a positive manner that allows Mr Heyman to playfully draw upon his Judaism.

However, Mr Miller also touched upon the various reported instances in which Judaism and antisemitism were handled poorly.

Remarking on the fact that he read from multiple sources that a “Nazi character” was once pitched as a wrestler, Mr Miller said that he was not entirely surprised, given that this was reported to have occurred at a time “when wrestling was super-duper about stereotypes.”

Mr Miller also gave his thoughts about the way the Jewish identity of the wrestler Colt Cabana was infamously handled, during which, in the mid-2000s, the wrestler had signed with WWE under the character of ‘Scotty Goldman’. Mr Cabana would appear in scripted segments where, in post-edit and reportedly without his knowing, klezmer music and stereotyping sound effects were added in. 

The wrestler also alleged that one of the WWE trainers would refer to him not as “Colt Cabana”, but as “Kike Cabana”. To date, WWE has never commented on or disputed the wrestler’s allegations, but neither have they been confirmed.

Mr Miller said: “You see that headline and you’re like ‘What?!’ I mean, it’s really even hard to come up with the words for it. ‘Scotty Goldman’, the name alone…you’re like, ‘What did you do? Did you just type in “common Jewish names”?’ 

“And to add all the [sound] effects in afterwards…I always thought about it from a Colt Cabana point of view. It must have put him in such an awkward position, because you’ve made it to the top. You’re in WWE…and then the one thing they lean on you for is ‘He’s Jewish so we’ll make him a Jewish guy’. It almost undermines everything else that he’s done.”

The WhatCulture Wrestling presenter went on to say that it was “disappointing, because there’s more to it than that,” adding: “I’m not saying that you couldn’t come up with an interesting Jewish storyline if everything is treated with respect, but that’s the point…it’s not, is it? It makes you want to stop watching.”

Mr Miller warned that presenting Jewish wrestlers in a demeaning manner could have serious, real-world consequences. 

“To an audience that may be a little bit ignorant towards [Judaism] or maybe a little bit uneducated, that may just back up certain ideas or it may actually enforce ideas they never thought they would have had before,” he said.

Speaking on the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and WWE star Bill Goldberg, a wrestler whose Jewish identity had never been acknowledged on-screen, Mr Miller said that had it been acknowledged positively, it could have served as necessary representation for Jewish fans.

“Let’s say on commentary, every now and then you just mentioned that he was of Jewish faith, as somebody may do with sports commentary just to add a little bit of flavour to proceedings, as a little Jewish kid that would have been the coolest thing ever,” he said. “It’s representation, right? It makes you go ‘Well that’s a badass thing! Maybe one day I can grow up and do that too.’ It’s just how people think. 

“So, all of a sudden, you try and make a caricature out of it, all that’s going to do is tell the little kid watching wrestling that maybe their religion is a bit silly, which is just not true, and it’s not fair, and it’s dangerous. More dangerous, I think, than people realise.”

Mr Miller also spoke on his admiration for the wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman, known to wrestling fans as MJF, who is signed to the promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the largest wrestling promotion in the United States after WWE. MJF, who is currently the AEW World Champion, has often used his screen time to deliver impassioned speeches about his Jewish identity and antisemitism, revealing that he was bullied at school for being Jewish. 

“I find it really inspiring, and really motivational. I really, really do,” Mr Miller said. “He’s made it to the top, he’s established. He’s been doing it the whole time, and he’s been shining a spotlight on [Jewish identity], and he’s been telling his stories. Be it on social media, or interviews, the fact he doesn’t shy away from it and the fact he’s tied it up in his character, and the fact that he’s proud of it…you look up to it, because you’re like ‘That is so cool to see somebody doing that,’ and he has shared terrible, terrible stories of some of the antisemitism that he has experienced in wrestling, especially growing up.”

Mr Miller praised the manner in which MJF has repeatedly called out antisemitism on social media. “It’s great, because if he is doing it, that should then roll downhill, and other people can get the confidence to go ‘Actually, maybe I shouldn’t let this happen, and I won’t let this happen.’ And as soon as you start doing that, it can really inspire change.

“I think he’s doing a really, really important job, and I bet it’s not as easy as he makes it seem because I imagine he’s been through some real horrible stuff.”

Mr Miller revealed that MJF’s experiences resonated with some of his own, stating that he has been on the receiving end of antisemitic abuse. 

He said: “The big one that always stands out to me was in my first job when I was working in a cinema…there was this one guy, we saw each other every day, and my Judaism came up. He looked at me and he just said, ‘Oh, we can’t be friends anymore. I’m not allowed to like Jews.’ It all came down to the fact that that is what had been instilled in him as a child from his family. ‘We don’t like Jewish people.’ I never found out why.”

The wrestler said that this experience had, over the years, caused him to be wary about who he would reveal his Jewish identity to.

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Arsenal launches “Jewish Gooners” partly in response to antisemitism

Arsenal Football Club has announced the launch of a new affiliate called “Jewish Gooners”, partly in response to antisemitism among supporters.

The purpose of the group will be to combat antisemitism and cultivate a more “inclusive” environment for Jewish fans, for example by enabling Jewish fans who observe the Sabbath to share their tickets with friends.

Jewish fans have complained about antisemitism among some of their fellow fans, including anti-Jewish jokes and Holocaust-denial, and plans to set up the group have reportedly been in the works for a couple of years.

The group will officially launch with a party on 14th May at Emirates Stadium.

The announcement came as Arsenal also disclosed that it was banning five supporters for three years over antisemitic incidents online and in the stadium, as well as 31 other exclusions for other forms of abusive behaviour.

Arsenal’s Supporter Liaison Officer said: “We’re very pleased to welcome the Jewish Gooners supporters’ club to the Arsenal family. We’ve already worked together on a number of initiatives and we’re looking forward to building on this in the future. Their counsel and support helps our ongoing drive against abuse and discrimination and we’ll work collaboratively, as we do with all our supporters’ clubs around the world, to celebrate and champion our diverse communities with the aim of ensuring everyone feels welcome at Arsenal.”

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Everton fan sentenced over antisemitic insults at match against Tottenham

An Everton fan has been convicted over antisemitic insults at a football match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Neil McManniman, 46, was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment at Liverpool Crown Court and given a suspended nine-month prison sentence. He was also banned from football matches for five years, ordered to carry out fifteen days of rehabilitation activities and given a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.

Mr McManniman was found to have hurled a “torrent of foul abuse” towards Tottenham fans during a home match at Goodison Park on 7th November 2021.

He had seven previous offences, including a similar conviction involving the use of the n-word, for which he previously received a three-year banning order.

The antisemitic abuse reportedly included hissing sounds, commonly performed in imitation of the gas chambers at Nazi death camps.

He denied the charges but a jury took only half an hour to convict him.

Judge Brian Cummings KC described his behaviour as “outrageous” and said: “You have not learnt your lesson from your previous court experiences.” He added that Mr McManniman had denied the offence “and tried to lie your way out of it.”

He also observed of the defendant: “You were seen on a number of occasions standing and gesticulating at the away supporters while shouting antisemitic abuse and making loud hissing sounds which I am sure were intended to reference the gas chambers in the Holocaust.”

During the trial, the prosecutor recounted how a fellow Evertonian heard Mr McManniman’s antisemitic abuse, including phrases like “dirty Jews, dirty Yids”, and complained to a steward, who also heard him shouting remarks such as “f****** Jews”. He was then ejected from the stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur has long been associated with the Jewish community, and its fans are consequently often targeted by antisemitic abuse.

Counsel for Mr McManniman variously claimed that he had been drink – although the defendant had reportedly maintained otherwise in this trial – and that he lost sight in one eye after being attacked fifteen years ago and had not been able to work. Additionally, he was voluntarily engaging with agencies to assist with mental health problems and his mother had written a letter setting out his shame and remorse. The judge suspended his nine-month prison sentence for two years in view of the mental health mitigation.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is a significant conviction, not only because it signals that there is no place for antisemitism in football, but also because it acknowledges that imitating the sound of gas chambers is a way of harassing Jewish people. This was recognised not merely by a judge but by a jury of ordinary people, who readily understand such conduct as antisemitic. Not only Tottenham fans but Everton supporters too will be reassured to find Neil McManniman banned from their stands for five years.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Investigation shamefully clears cricket club chairman who resigned after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets

An independent investigation has shamefully cleared a cricket club chairman of any wrongdoing, despite his decision to resign after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets.

The revelation came last year as the JC exposed Azeem Akhtar’s questionable social media history, revealing that he had ‘liked’ tweets referring to the “Zionist lobby” as well as posts comparing Israel to the Nazis.  

Mr Akhtar was announced as Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club (ECCC) in November. However, shortly after, several concerning tweets seemingly endorsed by the Chairman surfaced, including one which read: “It is not offensive to say that the Pro–Israel and Zionist lobby have deep pockets and oversized influence/control over the media.”

Another read: “Comparing Israel with Nazis is not antisemitic. In fact, many Jewish people have done so themselves.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

A further tweet ‘liked’ by Mr Akhtar said: “The fact that ‘from the river to the sea’ unsettles Zionists is all the more reason to keep saying it.”

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.

He was also found to have ‘liked’ tweets by the inflammatory rapper and activist, Lowkey, who has reportedly claimed that the “mainstream media” has “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” inquiries about far-right groups in Ukraine. He has also appeared on the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson’s show on Press TV, an Iranian state-owned news network whose British broadcasting licence was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. Lowkey has appeared alongside the disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.

Shortly after the publication of the JC’s report, Mr Akhtar admitted that he had ‘liked’ the tweets in question allegedly due to being upset with the violence that had taken place last year between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas. An independent probe into Mr Akhtar’s online behaviour was then announced.

However, he “vehemently” denied being antisemitic and said that he wants “the Jewish community to feel they had the most Jewish friendly chairman of Essex County Cricket Club they’ve ever had.”

Despite Mr Akhtar’s decision to resign, the investigation has now cleared him, stating that his online behaviour had been “supportive of the Islamic faith and beliefs as opposed to being antisemitic or indicating any other forms of racism”.

Mr Akhtar said in a statement: “I am passionately committed to fighting all kinds of discrimination whether that be antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other kind of prejudice. As concluded, my social media activity is reflective of my religious and political affiliations and the strong humanitarian stance I take on conflicts around the world. ECCC must lead the way with utmost sincerity in being a genuinely diverse and inclusive club. I wish ECCC the very best for the coming season and will continue to support the team as I have done every season since I was a boy.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Several of the tweets ‘liked’ by Azeem Akhtar breach the International Definition of Antisemitism. Comparisons between Israel and Nazis and comments about the ‘Zionist lobby’ are indefensible regardless, but in light of recent high-profile controversies relating to antisemitism in cricket, these tweets feel that much more odious.

“This investigation could have been an opportunity to tell people that Jews matter in the world of cricket. Disappointingly, this wasn’t the case. The findings of this investigation is not only a spectacular failure of the Essex County Cricket Club, but to portray Mr Akhtar’s endorsement of these tweets as merely being ‘supportive of the Islamic faith’ is insulting to both Jews and Muslims.

“Additionally, the fact that Mr Akhtar took it upon himself to resign speaks volumes, and one might say that the Club is out hit wicket.”

This is not the first time that antisemitism-related controversies have arisen in cricket.

Last year, both Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale were reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for historic antisemitic social media posts and acting in a way that is “prejudicial to the interests of cricket”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Former footballer John Barnes embroiled yet again in scandal relating to antisemitism

The former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes has become embroiled, yet again, in a scandal relating to antisemitism.

In a Twitter tirade, Mr Barnes asked: “What COLOUR not RELIGION …. and what NATIONALITY were the jewish people that hitler tried to exterminate?? white europeans …. no??”

Responding to a tweet by another Twitter user that said: “Jews aren’t white. No one went to war to save the Jews. Quite the opposite. US and UK didn’t do anything for them – didn’t consider them white/European/WASP enough”, Mr Barnes wrote: “You’re right no one went to war to save the Jews, but they were considered European so MORE worthy of our empathy, the allies PLAYED the white card to garner acceptance, where the reality was to stop German expansionism and nothing else.”

He added: “Obviously all Jews are not white, but the European Jewry who suffered the Holocaust were, had Hitler left the European Jews alone and went to Ethiopia and committed the same atrocities to the black Falasha Jews, I doubt WW2 would have started.”

Mr Barnes previously expressed a similar sentiment in his 2021 book, wondering, “Can you racially abuse Jewish people?”, he asks, explaining that “if the Jewish people are a race, what race does a black Jewish person belong to?”

In recent years, Mr Barnes has been politically outspoken. In 2019, he appeared on BBC Question Time, and, whilst commending the Labour MPs who left the Labour Party in the previous week over “what they believe,” and recognising “it’s about antisemitism in the Labour Party,” he also took it upon himself to decide on behalf of Jewish people what is and what is not antisemitism.

On the issue of antisemitism, Mr Barnes asserted that “there is a difference between that and anti-Zionism…getting mixed up” and correctly pointed out that “you can criticise the state of Israel without being antisemitic.“ But he then turned against the view of the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community in saying that he thought that “from the Labour Party’s point of view, as much as Zionists may want to say it’s one and the same I don’t think it is. It’s a bit like saying all racism is the same, because it isn’t, for example the Jews, in my opinion, whilst it is a religion they aren’t necessarily a separate race of people. I think they get mixed up in that respect.”

Last year, the actress and television personality Whoopi Goldberg was widely criticised and suspended from her programme after asserting that the Holocaust was not about race.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “John Barnes is rehashing Whoopi Goldberg’s staggering ignorance of history. For the Nazis, the Holocaust was all about race, and it does not belittle anyone else’s experience of racism to recognise that. Instead, Mr Barnes, who has previously tried to dictate to Jews what antisemitism is and is not, has inserted himself in the ugly but familiar debate over Jewish whiteness, where Jews are too white for some and not white enough for others. He is in very poor company there, and the longer he remains, the more tarnished his reputation will become.”

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Arsenal supporter called “dirty f***ing Yid” at Islington pub

It has been reported that, during a football game broadcast at a pub, an Arsenal supporter was asked to leave after being called a “dirty f***ing Yid”. 

According to the JC, during a live broadcast of a football game between Arsenal Football Club and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club at the Cally pub in Islington, Katie Price, a Jewish Arsenal supporter told fellow Arsenal fans to stop using the word “Yiddo” in football chants.

Rather than apologise, however, one fan came back with another man and shouted, “you dirty f***ing Yid” at the victim. The matter proceeded to escalate into an altercation, with the victim allegedly being violently threatened and told, “I’ll f***ing come for you, dirty Yid.”

The victim was then asked to leave the pub by the manager, despite explaining what had happened. Following her exit from the pub, the victim reportedly heard further chants of “off you go, Yiddo” coming from the premises. 

The incident has been reported to the police.

In 2020, CAA wrote to Oxford English Dictionary to have the word “Yiddo” edited to include the controversy over its use and pejorative connotation when used by football clubs.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

Image credit: Google

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Hertfordshire under-fourteens team receives nine-month ban following “Hitler would be proud” Snapchat post

A Hertfordshire-based under-fourteens football team has received a nine-month ban following an inflammatory social media post from one of its players.

Following the Potters Bar United under-fourteen’s win over the Jewish children’s football team Maccabi London FC on 19th September, one of the Potters Bar players uploaded a Snapchat post which said: “4-3 win over some random Jews. Hitler would be proud.”

Accompanied was a petrol tank emoji, seemingly a reference to gas chambers in Nazi Germany.

The team has now been banned from playing games for nine months, two of which are suspended for one year. Additionally, two players have been suspended from playing, must attend an FA online education programme and the club must pay a fine.

The family of the boy responsible for the post has agreed to undertake a course on Holocaust education and Judaism with a rabbi. 

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police said: “An investigation was launched in September 2022 after police were made aware of a post on social media containing antisemitic language. The post was made in relation to a football match involving two youth teams based in Hertfordshire.

“Enquiries were carried out and a teenage boy was interviewed under caution. He fully admitted the offence and was dealt with by of community resolution.

“Hate crimes can have a severe impact on victims and on the wider community as a whole. Incidents of this nature will absolutely not be tolerated in Hertfordshire and any reports made to police will be taken seriously and dealt with sensitively.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Newly-elected cricket club chairman steps aside after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets

A newly-elected cricket club chairman has stepped aside whilst an independent review takes place after he was found to have ‘liked’ a series of inflammatory tweets.

The revelation came as the JC exposed Azeem Akhtar’s questionable social media history, revealing that he had ‘liked’ tweets referring to the “Zionist lobby” as well as posts comparing Israel to the Nazis.  

Mr Akhtar was announced as Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club earlier this week. However, shortly after, several concerning tweets seemingly endorsed by the Chairman surfaced, including one which read: “It is not offensive to say that the Pro–Israel and Zionist lobby have deep pockets and oversized influence/control over the media.”

Another read: “Comparing Israel with Nazis is not antisemitic. In fact, many Jewish people have done so themselves.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

A further tweet ‘liked’ by Mr Akhtar said: “The fact that ‘from the river to the sea’ unsettles Zionists is all the more reason to keep saying it.”

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.

He was also found to have ‘liked’ tweets by the inflammatory rapper and activist, Lowkey, who has reportedly claimed that the “mainstream media” has “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” inquiries about far-right groups in Ukraine. He has also appeared on the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson’s show on Press TV, an Iranian state-owned news network whose British broadcasting licence was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. Lowkey has appeared alongside the disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.

Shortly after the publication of the JC’s investigation, Mr Akhter admitted that he had ‘liked’ the tweets in question allegedly due to being upset with the violence that had taken place last year between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas. 

However, he “vehemently” denied being antisemitic and said that he wants “the Jewish community to feel they had the most Jewish friendly chairman of Essex County Cricket Club they’ve ever had.”

In a newly released statement, Mr Akhtar said: “I have taken the decision today to voluntarily step aside as Chair of Essex County Cricket Club while an independent review takes place into recent matters that have been raised.

“I have made the decision to initiate this review because it is important that I as Chair and Essex County Cricket Club more widely hold ourselves to the highest standards of governance and accountability. By stepping aside, I want to show leadership and ensure the Club can focus on the ongoing challenges it is tackling.

“I am resolutely committed to ensuring that Essex County Cricket Club is an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds.”

This is not the first time that antisemitism-related controversies have arisen in cricket.

Earlier this year, both Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale were reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for historic antisemitic social media posts and acting in a way that is “prejudicial to the interests of cricket”.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Several of the tweets ‘liked’ by Azeem Akhtar breach the International Definition of Antisemitism. Comparisons between Israel and Nazis and comments about the ‘Zionist lobby’ are indefensible regardless, but in light of recent high-profile controversies relating to antisemitism in cricket, these tweets feel that much more odious.

“Having called for an investigation into Mr Akhtar’s social media activity, we welcome the independent review. But it must act swiftly and decisively to show that Mr Akhtar’s repugnant views have no place in the sport.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Rangers supporter convicted of performing Nazi salute during game against German team

A supporter of Rangers Football Club has been convicted of performing a Nazi salute during a game against German team RB Leipzig.

Josh Smith, 29, was found guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was racially aggravated for performing the Nazi gesture on 5th May at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium.

Mr Smith of Inverclyde initially denied performing the gesture when questioned by police and instead claimed that the gesture was for the “hand and the Crown.”

PC Mark Boyd, who was on call during the game that day and who witnessed Mr Smith perform the Nazi salute, said that he felt “disgusted that someone would do these gestures in this day and age.”

The defendant insisted to the court that the gesture was in reference to the “red hand of Ulster and the Crown” due to the affiliation between Northern Ireland and Rangers, adding: “For me the red hand was a symbol of not surrendering…the tie went to two-two and it was on a knife edge. I was merely signalling we would not surrender and continue to fight.”

Mr Smith was fined £790 and has been banned from attending all football matches in the United Kingdom for six months.

Earlier this year, a Rangers fan was banned by the Club from attending future matches after he appeared to have also performed a Nazi salute during a friendly match against West Ham United.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Football Association investigates Block 109 over alleged pro-Hamas messages

The Football Association has launched an investigation into Block 109 over alleged pro-Hamas messages on social media.

Block 109 is a group of England fans and official members of the England Supporters Travel Club. The group takes its name from its seating position at Wembley Stadium.

In a group chat, one member of Block 109 reportedly responded to news of the government banning support for Hamas, the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, by saying: “Can’t say anything these days without being thrown in jail. PC gone mad.”

A Jewish member of the group reportedly questioned that member on if he agreed with the Hamas charter, to which the member allegedly replied: “Spot on.” 

The Hamas charter calls for the genocide of all Jews worldwide and includes an infamous Hadith which states: “The Last Hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews, until a Jew will hide himself behind a stone or a tree, and the stone or the tree will say: ‘O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him!’”

The Jewish member told the fellow member that he believed supporters of Hamas’ doctrine to be antisemites, to which the England fan responded: “I’ve been upgraded. Get in.”

When asked for a statement, Block 109 claimed that “there were no references to Hamas as part of these messages” and added that the exchange was “reviewed extensively with representatives of the Football Supporters’ Association, Kick It Out and Love Football Hate Racism.”

Last year, the Football Association adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Qatar reportedly bans public Jewish prayer and refuses to serve cooked kosher food, despite earlier promises

Qatar has banned public Jewish prayer and refused to serve cooked kosher food, it has been reported.

This news, which was announced as the FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar, arrives despite earlier promises that both public Jewish prayer and cooked kosher food would be available, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

A representative of a Jewish organisation said: “We were promised to be allowed to create prayer spaces in order for religious Jews who came to see the games to have a place of worship. We were recently told that they banned places of worship for Jews because they cannot secure them.

“They were promised to be able to cook kosher food including kosher meat, but at the moment have only been allowed to sell cold bagel sandwiches.”

A large group of American Jews has also reportedly cancelled their plans to attend games in Qatar following its refusal to sell cooked kosher foods, referencing fears that there would not be enough to eat. One member of the group questioned why Qatar “doesn’t know how to secure Jewish worshipers?”

It was understood that those who wanted to keep kosher would have access to cooked meals, with Rabbi Marc Schneier stating that an agreement was made in which Qatar’s first kosher kitchen would be established in time for the beginning of the World Cup. 

Rabbi Schneier works extensively in promoting interfaith relations between Jews and Muslims. Last year, following a meeting between Rabbi Schneier and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, it was announced that for the first time, Azerbaijan would commemorate International Holocaust Memorial Day.

Father and son Rabbi Mendy Chitrik and Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik were selected to head up Qatar’s kosher kitchen, which will reportedly serve challah for Shabbat, bagel sandwiches with spreads such as hummus, vegetables and smoked salmon.

Rabbi Chitrik declined to comment on reports of Qatar refusing to sell cooked kosher food. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

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CAA to write to iFL TV and iD Boxing over platforming of unrepentant antisemite Wiley

Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to two popular YouTube channels after they both posted videos featuring the unrepentant antisemite Wiley. 

Earlier this week, the YouTube channels iFL TV and iD Boxing, whose collective subscriber base totals nearly one million, both posted interviews with the rapper in which they spoke about the current state of boxing. During the course of both interviews, neither host questioned the rapper on his antisemitic remarks.

Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to call for the removal of both videos.

The rapper Richard Kylea Cowie, who is known as Wiley, went on an antisemitic tirade on social media in July 2020. In his tirade, Wiley likened Jews to the Ku Klux Klan and claimed that Jews had cheated him and were “snakes”, tweeted that Jews should “hold some corn” – a slang expression meaning that they should be shot – and added: “Jewish community you deserve it”. He also called on “black people” to go to “war” with Jews and repeatedly evoked conspiracy theories that Jews were responsible for the slave trade and were imposters who usurped black people — a conspiracy theory that has incited acts of terrorism against Jews in the United States.

In the days that followed, Wiley continued to rail against Jews on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Following discussions with Campaign Against Antisemitism, a major 48-hour boycott of Twitter and Instagram in which we participated, and our projection of antisemitic tweets onto Twitter’s London headquarters, which then went viral, Twitter, Facebook (which owns Instagram), Google (which owns YouTube) and TikTok agreed to remove Wiley from their platforms, depriving him of access to his nearly one million social media followers.

At the time of Wiley’s original antisemitic tirade, Campaign Against Antisemitism immediately reported Wiley to the Metropolitan Police Service, but the police eventually confirmed to us that Wiley was not in the UK at the time of his tirade. Under Home Office rules, that means that the Metropolitan Police must give primacy to police in the jurisdiction where Wiley was at the time. Lawyers acting for Campaign Against Antisemitism have filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecution Service in the Netherlands, which is where he was located when he launched his tirade against Jews.

We also called for Wiley to be stripped of his MBE and have his Ivors Award rescinded.

However, barely a year later Wiley was again active on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, notwithstanding their pledges to ban him. Wiley tweeted at the time: “In all my years on earth I realised everyone wants you to care about their stuff like Holocaust etc but not one of them give a f*** about the enslavement and f***ery of black people so it’s hard for me to care for them knowing they don’t care for us #YaGetIt #JusSayin.”

Wiley, despite promises of permanent suspensions from Twitter to Campaign Against Antisemitism, has repeatedly been able to create new accounts and spout racist hate towards Jews, even directly attacking Campaign Against Antisemitism. 

One such incident occurred in December when Wiley targeted a senior figure in Campaign Against Antisemitism directly, changing his profile picture to an image of this member of our team and tweeting a further picture of him. He then proceeded to taunt him in a series of tweets, including calling him a “coward” and then posting a video on Instagram taunting him.

The rapper, who recently released an album unsubtly titled “Anti-Systemic”, told our member on Instagram: “Don’t hide” and “come outside”. We are in touch with the police over the taunts and are examining legal options.

In the days that followed, Campaign Against Antisemitism unearthed footage from the rapper’s Instagram Live in which he rants about Jewish people and shouts to his audience: “Why did Hitler hate you? For nothing?”

Wiley continues to demonstrate a lack of remorse for his antisemitism by propagating the antisemitic conspiracy theory of Jewish influence and power.

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Wimbledon fan given three-year football ban for performing Nazi salute during game

An AFC Wimbledon fan has been banned from attending football matches for three years after performing a Nazi salute during a game.

Alan Strank, 42, pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court yesterday to a racially aggravated offence under Section 4 of the Public Order Act.

Mr Strank performed the Nazi gesture to supporters of Milton Keynes Dons, the opposing team, at Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium on 9th April, the court heard.

In addition to the three-year football banning order, Mr Strank must also carry out 50 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay a fine of £180.

Police Constable James Crawley, the investigating officer, said: “Racism has no place within football, or indeed in society, and those who engage in such behaviour should be under no illusion that they are committing a crime. The consequences of that crime were clearly demonstrated today.

“Genuine football fans and players are fed up with this kind of toxic discourse surrounding the game and we will use all the policing powers available to us to stop it from happening.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Basketball player Kyrie Irving finally apologises for promoting allegedly antisemitic film after being suspended for five games

The Brooklyn Nets and its star player Kyrie Irving, have both pledged to donate $500,000 to tackling hatred, as the star player finally apologises for promoting an allegedly antisemitic film.

Mr Irving was earlier criticised for an initially weak apology that he gave as the controversy persisted, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver describing Mr Irving’s tweet linking to the film as “reckless” and reportedly expressing disappointment that he had not yet delivered an unqualified apology. A recent Nets game was also protested by the Jewish community.

The player has also been suspended for five games.

Mr Irving has now issued a more fulsome apology, saying: “While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false antisemitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.

“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologise. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labelled antisemitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against antisemitism by apologising for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.”

Last week, the Nets’ star guard posted a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Twitter. The film supposedly “uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.”

The notion that Black Americans are the true Jews is an increasingly popular conspiracy theory and was also recently promoted by Kanye West. It features too in the ideology of the Black Israelite Hebrews, an extremist Black supremacist group that has also harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the UK and the London Underground and is thought to have been connected to the New Jersey kosher grocery store shooting in 2019.

Nets’ owner Joe Tsai said: “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”

Mr Irving earlier said on Twitter: “I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs…the Antisemitic label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.”

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, posted his support of Mr Irving on Twitter yesterday, reiterating sentiments the musician has made in the past few weeks, writing: “You can’t be anti-Semite when you know you are Semite.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism launched a successful petition garnering over 180,000 signatures which called on global retailer Adidas to end its partnership with Ye following his repeated antisemitic outbursts.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving under fire for promoting allegedly antisemitic film

The Brooklyn Nets player, Kyrie Irving, has come under fire for promoting an allegedly antisemitic film.

Last week, the Nets’ star guard posted a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Twitter. The film supposedly “uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.”

The notion that Black Americans are the true Jews is an increasingly popular conspiracy theory and was also recently promoted by Kanye West. It features too in the ideology of the Black Israelite Hebrews, an extremist Black supremacist group that has also harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the UK and the London Underground and is thought to have been connected to the New Jersey kosher grocery store shooting in 2019.

Nets’ owner Joe Tsai said: “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”

Mr Irving said on Twitter: “I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs…the Antisemitic label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Welling United Football Club appeal for information following swastika graffiti on pitch 

Welling United Football Club has appealed for information following graffiti scrawled on the pitch at Park View Road stadium.

Images appear to show the Club’s pitch defaced with swastikas, which reportedly occurred at around 18:00 on 12th October.

In a statement, the Club said: “Two youths broke into the stadium and used club equipment to paint an offensive slogan onto the pitch which also included racist symbolism. 

“Police were called to Park View Road on Thursday morning with evidence collected, including CCTV footage and an investigation is under way to find the individuals responsible. Welling United wholly condemn the acts of those involved and condemn all forms of racism and discrimination.”

The Club added that a reward is being offered “for any information that leads to a successful prosecution”. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

Image credit: Welling United FC

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Cricketers Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale reprimanded by Cricket Discipline Commission for antisemitic social media posts

Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale have both been reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for historic antisemitic social media posts and acting in a way that is “prejudicial to the interests of cricket”.

The charges brought against Mr Rafiq by the England and Wales Cricket Board relate to Facebook messages exchanged with former Leicestershire cricketer Ateeq Javid in 2011. According to the newspaper, Mr Rafiq, who was nineteen at the time, and his interlocutor were apparently discussing another professional cricketer whom they appeared to accuse of being reluctant to spend money on a meal out because “he is a Jew”. Mr Rafiq joked that he will “probs go after my 2nds again ha…Only Jews do tht sort of shit [sic].”

Mr Rafiq has since apologised and looked to learn more about anti-Jewish racism. In a JC-organised tour of the Jewish Museum, Mr Rafiq was accompanied by Holocaust survivor Ruth Barnett and Mr Silverman, who explained the history of the antisemitic trope of Jews and money and why Mr Rafiq’s historic remarks had been so hurtful.

In response to the ruling from the CDC, Mr Rafiq tweeted earlier this week: “This summer, I unequivocally accepted a charge from the ECB regarding my antisemitic social media post from 2011. You will hear no complaint from me about the CDC’s decision today.

“It is deserved and I fully accept this reprimand. I want to repeat my apology to the Jewish community. I remain ashamed and embarrassed. I hope I have demonstrated in the past 10-11 months that I am trying to educate myself about the horrors and prejudice the Jewish community has historically – and continues – to face.

“I will keep trying and I thank the Jewish community for the forgiveness and kindness that has been shown to me so far.”

Recently, fresh allegations of antisemitism against Mr Rafiq have surfaced. However, he has denied them as “categorically untrue”.

The charges against Mr Gale relate to a 2010 tweet that included the words “Button it y**!” The tweet is believed to have been sent in reply to Leeds United Football Club’s then Head of Media, Paul Dews.

Yorkshire initially suspended Mr Gale pending a discplinary hearing into his message, but he was then fired along with Yorkshire’s entire coaching staff. The cricket club then admitted that unfair dismissal complaints by him and five of his former colleagues were “well-founded” as part of wider legal battles over the terminations.

Mr Gale initially denied “each and every” accusation made against him and reportedly described the ECB investigation as a “witch hunt”, but has reportedly admitted culpability in response to the CDC’s verdict. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Children’s football match marred by antisemitism

A children’s football match just north of London has been marred by allegations of antisemitism.

Following a 4-3 win against a Jewish children’s football team in a Hertfordshire Football Association fixture on Sunday, a player on the winning team posted a message on social media saying “Hitler would be proud” of his team’s victory and noted their “4-3 win against some random Jews.”

The father of the teenage player has reportedly sent an apology, and the boy may attend antisemitism awareness training.

It is understood that Herts FA has been informed of the incident, and the police have been made aware.

Hertfordshire FA said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident involving antisemitic abuse that occurred following a match over the weekend. A full investigation has been opened and the affected club has been offered assistance via Sporting Chance who provide dedicated support to victims of discrimination. We’re clear that discrimination has no place in football, whether on the pitch, at the training ground, in the stands or online. If you witness unacceptable behaviour in football, please tell us about it so that we can deal with it accordingly.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Popular Iranian Olympic wrestler announces “Hitler is my hero”

A popular Iranian wrestler has reportedly announced that “Hitler is my hero.”

Greco-Roman wrestler Mohammad Ali Geraei, who came in fifth place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, cited Hitler as an inspiration, along with boxer Muhammad Ali and footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in an interview with an Iranian publication over the weekend.

Mr Geraei won bronze at the World Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and gold at the 2018 Asian Games, and is a revered figure in Iranian sports.

Sardar Pashaei, a former Greco-Roman wrestling champion and head coach of Iran’s team, now turned activist, told The Jerusalem Post that he was “very sad” to see how Iranian athletes “have become government puppets and have to learn the lesson of hate instead of friendship.”

Mr Pashaei, who is now an American citizen, added: “Geraei’s words are like rubbing salt on the wounds of millions of people whose families were victims of hatred. The International Olympic Committee should end appeasement with Iran, and ban the presence of officials and athletes who are part of the Iranian government’s repression and hatred apparatus. We will soon send a letter to the World Wrestling Federation and demand the suspension of Ali Geraei for his antisemitic comments.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

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UFC fighter reveals he used to defend cousins against antisemites

Natan Levy, currently the world’s only Israeli fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, commonly known as UFC, a mixed martial arts promotion, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he revealed that he used to defend his cousins against antisemites.

When asked about modern-day antisemitism in France, where Mr Levy grew up for a time, the fighter said: “I can tell you it’s not new. It’s been going on for years. With my cousins, we’d fly to France a few times a year and from a certain age, it would be, ‘Hey Natan, this kid took my kippa (skullcap), they took my bicycle.’ I’d be like ‘Who is it? Show me who it is.’ And we’d go take care of it.”

He added: “I was never looking for fights but if there was a reason to fight, I’m not gonna back down. I might even be a little excited for it, a little bit scared, but I know what needs to be done.” 

Mr Levy commented how “it was like this years ago,” and “now it’s only worse…more violent and what we’re seeing right now in antisemitism is that it’s all physical attacks…it’s getting out of hand.”

“Every Jewish person in the world should learn martial arts,” the fighter urged.

Speaking on his pride as a Jewish person and his opposition to antisemitic tropes, Mr Levy said that “When I’m in the cage and I’m fighting, I want to show that we’re brave, we fight, and we can take care of ourselves. We are not weak.”

Mr Levy also revealed that a young fan and aspiring swimmer contacted him after she was told that her peers told her that “She’s a Jew and she could only be a manager.” 

The fan informed Mr Levy that he gave her the inspiration to keep on swimming, a feeling which he described as “way better than winning a fight.”  

During the interview, Mr Levy discussed how he plans to donate the proceeds from auctioning off his ring gear to Holocaust survivors, and the antisemitic comments he received in response. 

“At one point I was so nervous for my fight, it was the biggest fight of my life,” he said, “I really needed this win. You’re going to get into a fist-fight, you’re anxious, you need to make weight. And on the other hand, it’s Holocaust Memorial Day and I said to myself, ‘What am I worried about? What am I stressed about? It’s a sport, I’m choosing to do this. Look at what these people went through, the atrocities.’”

He added that his mentality surrounding his fight was to “Fight for them.”

Addressing some of the online comments he received in response to his announcement surrounding the proceeds, which included people threatening to bid without paying and “Free Palestine” tweets, the latter of which he stated had “nothing at all” to do with the Holocaust, he said that he was “not surprised” and that “if you have a good grasp on reality, you will assume it’s going to happen.”

“It’s okay,” he added. “I would rather they commented and everyone can see how disgusting they are…I think it’s better when they talk and just say what they would like to do, what their intentions are, just to show their true face.”

Throughout the interview, Mr Levy touched upon a variety of other issues which included being inducted into the Israeli Federation of Martial Arts Hall of Fame and his advice to Jewish people experiencing antisemitism.

The podcast with Mr Levy can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Banned Chelsea fan who allegedly tweeted “Gas them all” about Tottenham fans returns

Sources have claimed that a football fan who was banned for performing Nazi salutes and who allegedly wrote tweets about gassing Jews attended the recent clash between Chelsea and Leeds United.

In 2016, Chelsea fan Fabian Richardson was banned from football grounds in the UK for three years and ordered to pay £365 after making thirteen Nazi salutes in fifteen minutes during his team’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Richardson admitted religiously aggravated harassment but, at first, he claimed that he was waving at friends, saying: “I’m not a racist, I was just an idiot.”

However, new revelations have since come to light. It has been reported that, when watching Chelsea play against the Amsterdam-based team, Ajax, on television, Mr Richardson allegedly tweeted about the Dutch team’s supposed connection to the city’s Jewish community and its record during the Second World War of hiding Jews from the Nazis.

Mr Richardson allegedly wrote: “Into these Jewish hiding f***ing Dutch c***s”

Two weeks later, Mr Richardson allegedly tweeted “Gas. Them. All” during the kick off of a match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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England and Wales Cricket Board charges former Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale over alleged antisemitic historic tweet

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has charged a former Yorkshire coach over an alleged antisemitic historic tweet.

A tweet allegedly posted by Andrew Gale surfaced during the recent scandal of racism claims in cricket.

Mr Gale, who has denied “each and every” accusation made against him and reportedly described the ECB investigation as a “witch hunt”, has been charged in relation to a 2010 tweet that included the words “Button it y**!” The tweet is believed to have been sent in reply to Leeds United Football Club’s then Head of Media, Paul Dews.

Mr Gale, a former captain of Yorkshire who became the county’s coach in 2016, is one of seven current and former cricket players charged over the scandal, and an additional charge has been filed against him after he reportedly refused to attend a disciplinary hearing.

The tweet resurfaced at the same time as historic antisemitic comments by former cricketer Azim Rafiq, the leading whistleblower in the racism scandal, who has apologised for his past comments.

Yorkshire initially suspended Mr Gale pending a discplinary hearing into his message, but he was then fired along with Yorkshire’s entire coaching staff. The cricket club then admitted that unfair dismissal complaints by him and five of his former colleagues were “well-founded” as part of wider legal battles over the terminations.

Mr Gale told Jewish News at the time the tweet resurfaced: “This post is part of a conversational thread between Paul Dews and myself. Paul worked for Leeds United Football Club at the time and I am an avid Huddersfield Town fan. The reference is to a chant that was prevalent at the time in relation to Leeds fans.

“Within a few minutes of the post, Paul called me and explained the meaning of the word and that it was offensive to Jews. I was completely unaware of this meaning and removed the post immediately. You must have been sent a screenshot of the post that someone took at the time and waited eleven years to release. I would never have used the word had I been aware of its offensive meaning and I have never used it since.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Burnley Football Club decides not to change stand named after former Chairman who claimed Jews “run TV”

Burnley Football Club has rejected calls to rename a stand after a former Chairman who made an antisemitic remark in public.

The Bob Lord Stand is dedicated to the late local businessman who ran a chain of butcher shops before becoming Chairman of Burnley Football Club.

However, in 1974, Mr Lord spoke at a variety club dinner and said that “We have to stand up against a move to get soccer on the cheap by the Jews who run TV.”

This prompted many of the guests to leave the dinner early and a complaint from Bryan Cowgill, Head of BBC Television Sport, and his television counterpart, Bill Ward, to Sir Andrew Stephen, Chairman of the Football Association, and Len Shipman, President of the Football League,

Mr Lord later issued a partial apology, saying that: “If I have hurt anybody’s feelings. I apologise.”

However, the issue has recently come to light after some members of the Jewish community expressed their concerns, pressuring the Club into potentially renaming the stand.

Burnley went on to launch a six-month-long investigation into the incident, which included consultations with Jewish representatives and advisers, but concluded that the Club did not need to take any further action.

A spokesperson for the Club said that Burnley had officially adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Burnley’s current Chairman, Alan Pace, said the Club would continue to take a “proactive stance against all forms of discrimination and hate crime. Adopting the IHRA definition in full is an important step going forwards and ultimately proves clarity across football on the language and actions of staff, players, supporters, and everyone associated with the game. As a custodian of Burnley, I strongly believe everyone should feel safe and welcome, whether watching or attending a football game.”

The original outcry over Bob Lord came less than a month after three Burnley supporters were arrested after video footage emerged of them appearing to perform Nazi salutes during the club’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Rangers ban fan who reportedly performed Nazi salute during West Ham friendly

Rangers Football Club has banned a spectator from future matches for performing a Nazi salute.

The fan appears to have made the salute during Rangers’ friendly match with West Ham United on 19th July at the Glasgow club’s home ground, Ibrox Stadium. He was apparently seen wearing the strip of West Ham’s rivals, Millwall, which he then allegedly covered up with a jacket.

The Ibrox security team say that the man was then ejected from the ground, but it was reported that he continued to do more salutes as he was being ushered out.

A spokesperson for Rangers said that “We are aware of a video circulating online regarding an individual within the home section who was wearing a football top representing another club. We condemn the appalling actions of this individual who will no longer be welcome at this stadium. This individual was removed from the stadium by our stewards.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We applaud ushers at Ibrox Stadium for their prompt intervention and Rangers for banning the individual from future games. Millwall now also has a responsibility to investigate whether the person in the images attends their matches and prohibit him from doing so. There is no place for antisemitism in football, and clubs must continue to act against Nazi salutes and other antisemitic gestures and chanting wherever they arise.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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CAA exploring legal options after CPS drops antisemitic hate charges in yet another high-profile case, this time in relation to West Ham suspects

Campaign Against Antisemitism is exploring legal options after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped charges against two suspects in relation to a high-profile incident on a Ryanair flight last year.

Lee Carey, 55, and Jak Bruce, 31, were arrested in connection with an incident on a flight from London Stansted to Eindhoven in November 2021 in which numerous West Ham supporters were videoed chanting an antisemitic song, apparently at a Hasidic passenger. They were charged with racially aggravated harassment 

The group was filmed to be chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew”, as they flew to a Europa League match between their team and KRC Genk in Belgium.

In May, the defendants sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction under the Civil Aviation Act and therefore could not hear the case, as there are specific rules about jurisdiction for crimes committed on airplanes. The case was adjourned while the CPS considered the issue. In the meantime, last month, Judge Walker, sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court, rejected an application to dismiss the case, and a further hearing was due later this year.

It has now emerged, however, that the case has collapsed, with the CPS deciding that it has “insufficient evidence” to establish that the alleged offences took place under British jurisdiction and that, therefore, the CPS is unable to advance the prosecution.

A spokesperson for the CPS said: “Following a careful review of all the available evidence, we concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove that the alleged offences took place in British airspace and therefore within remit of our courts. The CPS takes racism, homophobia, and antisemitism in sport extremely seriously because of the devastating impact it has on victims and wider society.

“Where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest, we will prosecute these cases. We are working with sporting bodies and the police to advise them on the evidence required to build strong cases so that offenders can be brought to justice.”

This is the third time in almost as many months that the CPS has dropped or reduced charges against suspects in antisemitic hate crime incidents.

Polling for our 2021 Antisemitism Barometer showed that a majority of British Jews do not believe that the CPS is doing enough to protect them.

West Ham confirmed last year that it had banned two supporters for life, although it is not known if those fans are the defendants in this case.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This incident was caught on video that went viral, with plenty of witnesses on the plane, including Ryanair cabin crew. It is beyond belief that sufficient evidence cannot be amassed to establish jurisdiction and that potential culprits are free to go without sanction. This is the third time in almost as many months that the CPS has dropped or reduced charges against suspects in high-profile antisemitic hate crime incidents, and members of the Jewish community are writing to us in indignation. It is no wonder that our polling shows that a majority of British Jews do not believe that the CPS does enough to protect them. With regard to this case, we are exploring legal options to ensure that justice is done.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Football fan banned from matches for three years for performing Nazi salute at Tottenham Hotspur supporters

A football supporter who performed a Nazi salute at fans of Tottenham Hotspur has been banned from attending matches for three years.

Shay Asher, 24, who is a fan of Newcastle United, admitted to the charge of racially aggravated harassment during the match between Newcastle and Tottenham at Newcastle’s home ground, St James’ Park, in October 2021.

Though Mr Asher initially denied the offence, claiming that he was waving to someone, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard that he performed a Nazi salute with his finger over his mouth to make a moustache, and was overheard saying that he wanted to fight Tottenham fans.

The court heard that when the former Royal Engineer was confronted by one of the stadium’s stewards, “his face dropped and he quickly ran off towards the exit.”

Mr Asher was initially fined £200, with £85 costs and a £34 surcharge, but returned to court to challenge a Football Banning Order, which the prosecution had applied for.

The panel decided to impose the Order, however, which includes an order to Mr Asher to surrender his passport should he apply for one, not to enter football grounds and to keep away from England matches.

The court said that the ban was being imposed to help prevent disorder at football matches in the future.

The prosecutor, Brian Payne, said that “This defendant took it upon himself to produce a Nazi salute. He knew or must have known that there was a likelihood of there being a strong Jewish presence among the away supporters. It was a pretty deliberate and cynical action.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Judge rejects application to dismiss case against two West Ham fans charged with racially aggravated harassment of visibly Jewish man on Ryanair flight

A judge has today rejected an application to dismiss the case against two West Ham supporters charged with racially aggravated harassment of a visibly Jewish man on a Ryanair flight last year.

Lee Carey, 55, and Jak Bruce, 31, were arrested in connection with an incident on a flight to Eindhoven in November 2021 in which numerous West Ham supporters were videoed chanting an antisemitic song, apparently at a Hasidic passenger.

The group was filmed to be chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew”, as they flew to a match between their team and KRC Genk in Belgium.

Last month, the defendants sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction under the Civil Aviation Act and therefore could not hear the case. 

Sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court, Judge Walker today rejected that application, but the matter of jurisdiction has yet to be resolved, with a further hearing due later this year.

West Ham confirmed last year that it had banned two supporters for life, although it is not known if those fans are the defendants in this case.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Jewish players as young as seven “hissed at” by rivals to imitate sound of gas, Parliament told in debate on antisemitism in football

Numerous shocking anecdotes were shared in Parliament yesterday during a debate on the subject of antisemitism in football.

The Westminster Hall debate was called by Conservative MP Theresa Villers, who cited several examples, including Celtic fans’ treatment of their club’s own Israeli player, Nir Bitton, who was called a “dirty Jew bastard” and a “Zionist rat”, a “Happy Passover” message posted to social media by Aston Villa which was met with negative comments and many thousands of “dislikes”, and the accusation that Jews were “ruining football” when Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, whose owners are Jewish, looked to break away and form a European Super League.

Ms Villiers also cited examples of behaviour by fans in the stands: a Chelsea supporter who was jailed for posting antisemitic tweets including photos from Auschwitz and someone performing a Nazi salute; an Everton fan who was banned from attending matches for three years for singing antisemitic chants at Tottenham fans; Chelsea fans singing a song that ended in the words “f**king Jew”; and Burnley fans arrested for making Nazi salutes at Tottenham fans.

Ms Villiers also pointed out that there were many more examples than this. She said that “I am afraid time prevents me from embarking on anything like a comprehensive account of the harassment and intimidation to which Jewish people are routinely subjected at football matches.”

Labour Party MP Christian Wakeford said that antisemitism can be found at every level of football in the UK, and cited examples of Jewish players as young as seven being hissed at by their rivals to reproduce the sound of gas chambers. Mr Wakeford said: “I am sure that we can all agree that is truly shameful, shocking and abhorrent.”

The Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield, added that hatred of Jews is often left out of anti-racist activism. Ms Duffield said: “Antisemitism, like every form of racism, is ugly, aggressive, and ignorant, but also often overlooked or left out completely when we discuss racism in sport. We applaud the lead taken by Lewis Hamilton, and other national sporting icons, when taking the knee to highlight racism, and the important work of groups such as Show Racism the Red Card, and Kick It Out. But barely a mention is given to the antisemitic chants or language that are seemingly just accepted or ignored on the terraces.”

The Conservative MP Scott Benton also contributed a disturbing anecdote to the debate. Mr Benton recalls being in a pub with some West Ham fans before attending a match at West Ham’s former ground, Upton Park: “After singing disparaging chants about Tottenham [Hotspur], those fans proceeded to hiss and imitate the evil of the Holocaust, in a direct reference to Tottenham’s Jewish heritage. It was not just a few mindless idiots, but dozens of people, and it lasted a long time.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Burnley FC launch probe following outcry over stand named after former chairman who claimed Jews “run TV”

Burnley Football Club are under pressure to rename a stand in their stadium that is currently named after a former chairman who is known to have made a public antisemitic remark.

The Bob Lord Stand is dedicated to the late local businessman who ran a chain of butcher shops before becoming Chairman of Burnley Football Club.

However, in 1974, Mr Lord spoke at a variety club dinner and said that “We have to stand up against a move to get soccer on the cheap by the Jews who run TV.”

This prompted many of the guests to leave the dinner early and a complaint from Bryan Cowgill, Head of BBC Television Sport, and his television counterpart, Bill Ward, to Sir Andrew Stephen, Chairman of the Football Association, and Len Shipman, President of the Football League,

Mr Lord later issued a partial apology, saying that: “If I have hurt anybody’s feelings. I apologise.”

However, the issue has recently come to light after some members of the Jewish community expressed their concerns.

Burnley Football Club has confirmed that it is launching an investigation into the matter and said: “Antisemitism continues to be a problem in the UK and in our society. Antisemitism must be understood for what it is – an attack on the identity of people who live, contribute, and are valued in our society. It is extremely important to Burnley Football Club to keep an open dialogue with the local and wider Jewish community, and we urge anyone who has experienced or been impacted by antisemitism in football to report it directly to Kick it Out using their online reporting form or via the dedicated Kick it Out reporting app.”

However, the Burnley Football Club Supporters Group appeared to offer a different view of Mr Lord’s remark, saying that “What Lord said was unpleasant, but it was one incident. He was rightly condemned at the time,” adding: “It was so long ago that many of our supporters don’t even remember Bob Lord who passed away in 1981.”

The outcry over Bob Lord comes less than a month after three Burnley supporters were arrested after video footage emerged of them appearing to perform Nazi salutes during the club’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Three England fans arrested in Munich for allegedly performing Nazi salutes before Germany game

Police in Munich have arrested three England fans for allegedly performing Nazi salutes.

The salutes were reportedly made before England’s Nations League Clash with Germany on 7th June.

Since the Second World War, the Federal Republic of Germany has made it a criminal offence to perform the Nazi salute in any form, with or without the accompanying phrase “Heil Hitler”. Doing so is punishable by up to three years in prison.

This comes amid a spate of recent incidents at football matches in which Nazi salutes have been performed by fans of Burnley, West Ham United, Newcastle United, Vitesse Arnhem, and Union Berlin.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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West Ham fan who performed Nazi salutes to Austrian supporters is banned from attending football matches for three years

A West Ham fan who performed Nazi salutes to Austrian supporters during an international game has been banned from attending football matches for three years.

Daniel Garner, 26, performed the antisemitic gestures during a Europa League game between West Ham United and Rapid Vienna at the London Stadium on 30 September.

Appearing at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Mr Garner pleaded guilty to one count of using threatening or abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment or alarm or distress.

In addition to being subjected to a three-year football ban, Mr Garner was also fined £166.

Nosheen Hussain, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Football fans from any country should never have to tolerate abusive behaviour. Daniel Garner’s conduct was insulting and inciteful.

“The prosecution case included CCTV footage which clearly showed Garner making offensive Nazi salutes toward Austrian fans. During police interview [sic] he claimed to be intoxicated – but this is no excuse for such vile behaviour.

“The CPS will always aim to prosecute those who seek to cause harassment.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Another football match, another instance of Nazi salutes. We applaud West Ham and the criminal justice authorities for identifying, prosecuting and sanctioning the culprit. Nazi gestures and antisemitism have no place in the beautiful game, and we call on other clubs to emulate this example of best practice, with fines and bans on all those responsible for injecting racism into sport.”

Last week, two West Ham supporters appeared in court on charges of racially aggravated harassment of a visibly Jewish man on a Ryanair flight last year.

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Italian Government condemns Lazio fans’ inflammatory behaviour

Leading figures at SS Lazio, the football club based in Rome, as well as figures from the Italian Government, have condemned racist insults aimed at a steward working in the stadium during a game with Hellas Verona, and inflammatory slogans directed at fans of Lazio’s local rivals, AS Roma.

Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, branded the Lazio fans “cowards”, while officials from Lazio condemned the appearance of the slogans.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Mountaineer who called Jews “kikes” has his name stripped from prestigious climbing award

A former Harvard University philosophy professor and mountaineer who referred to Jews as “kikes” has had his name removed from a mountaineering award named in his honour.

Since his death in 1983, Robert L. M. Underhill had been honoured by the American Alpine Club (AAC), which gave out the annual Robert and Miriam Underhill Award in his memory.

However, following a complaint to the AAC’s Chief Executive filed by a Jewish climber, Brad Rassler, the AAC has decided to change the name of the award after being made aware of Underhill’s history of inflammatory comments about Jews. 

In one letter, Underhill told a friend that Jews were “kikes” who did not possess the physical and mental strength needed for mountaineering, and that they were trying to “invade” what should otherwise be a Jew-free sport.

Though the AAC does not question Underhill’s climbing abilities, which included first ascents in both Europe and the Americas, the AAC has announced that it is no longer appropriate to name the award after him.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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West Ham fans charged with racially aggravated harassment of visibly Jewish man on Ryanair flight appear in court

Two West Ham supporters appeared in court today charged with racially aggravated harassment of a visibly Jewish man on a Ryanair flight last year.

Lee Carey, 55, and Jak Bruce, 31, who appeared via video link before Judge Loram QC at Chelmsford Crown Court, were arrested in connection with an incident on a flight to Eindhoven in November 2021 in which numerous West Ham supporters were videoed chanting an antisemitic song, apparently at a Hasidic passenger.

The group was filmed to be chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew”, as they flew to a match between their team and KRC Genk in Belgium.

Last week, the defendants sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction under the Civil Aviation Act and therefore could not hear the case. The court has now requested submissions from Ryanair, with hearings scheduled for the coming weeks with a view to holding the trial in February next year.

West Ham confirmed last year that it had banned two supporters for life, although it is not known if those fans are the defendants in this case.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

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Burnley supporters arrested after appearing to perform Nazi salutes during match with Tottenham Hotspur

Three supporters of Burnley Football Club have been arrested after video footage emerged of them appearing to perform Nazi salutes during the Lancashire club’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur on 15th May.

The video footage appears to show one man in a baseball raising his arm with a flat palm while another mimics someone crying by rubbing his eyes with clenched fists.

Tottenham Hotspur have a reputation for being a “Jewish” club and fans often find themselves the targets of antisemitic abuse by opposing fans, whether or not they are Jewish.

Tottenham Hotspur’s official Twitter confirmed the arrests and stated that the club will be helping the police with their investigation, saying: “The Club can confirm two visiting supporters have been identified and arrested following discriminatory gestures at today’s match. We shall be supporting the police with their investigation.”

In a statement, Burnley said that “This is now a police investigation and, collectively, we will work with Tottenham Hotspur, Met Police and Lancs Police on this matter.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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High school baseball players taunted with antisemitic slurs during away game

School administrators and local law enforcement in Franklin, Massachusetts, are investigating antisemitic slurs allegedly hurled during a high school baseball game.

On 5th May, the team from Sharon High School travelled to Franklin High School, about fifteen miles away and 42 miles south west of Boston, only to be greeted by fans from the home side shouting antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs at them.

It has been reported that counselling services are being offered to the victims.

Joe Scozzaro, the Principal of Sharon High, said “Our baseball players reported to their coach after the game that Franklin High spectators were out at the left-field fence heckling our outfielders during the game using antisemitic, racist and homophobic epithets, including various vulgarities.”

In a letter sent out to families, the Franklin High Principal, Joshua Hanna, wrote “We denounce such behaviour and are outraged. Our hearts go out to the Sharon community. There’s no place for such behaviour in our schools and at school events. This behaviour is highly inconsistent with our core values in the inclusive culture we are committed to creating at Franklin High School.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Football fan fined and facing possible ban after performing Nazi salute towards Tottenham Hotspur supporters

A football fan has been fined and faces a ban after he was seen allegedly performing a Nazi salute, a court has heard.

Newcastle United fan Shay Asher, 24, admitted the racially aggravated offence of causing harassment during the team’s match against Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle’s home ground, St James’s Park, in October 2021.

Though Mr Asher initially denied the offence, claiming that he was waving to someone, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard that he performed a Nazi salute with his finger over his mouth to make a moustache, and was overheard saying that he wanted to fight Tottenham fans.

The court heard that when the former Royal Engineer was confronted by one of the stadium’s stewards, “his face dropped and he quickly ran off towards the exit.”

Mr Asher was fined £200, with £85 costs and a £34 surcharge and has been told to stay away from sporting venues in England and Wales as part of his bail conditions. Northumbria Police will reportedly apply for a football banning order.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Antisemitic chants heard at top Italian football fixtures

Loud, antisemitic chants were heard from supporters of some of Italy’s premier sides, including Genoa, Torino and Rome’s famed Lazio club.

The chanting was heard when Genoa played Lazio on 10th April, and again the week after when Lazio played Torino on 16th April.

According to local reports, the chants featured antisemitic slurs that referenced Anne Frank and the Holocaust, and appended them to earthier and more general expletives. Local reports also noted that those chanting “very loudly” included many young people who would “most likely not even understand” the meaning of the “shameful, antisemitic chants,” which included: “Go pray in the synagogue, I will always scare you off, Rome-supporter f*** off…, Rome-supporter f*** off.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

Antisemitic chanting broke out during Genoa Vs Lazio (April 10) and Lazio Vs Torino (April 16): “Go pray in the synagogue, I will always scare you off, Rome-supporter fxxk off…, Rome-supporter fxxk off”.

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Russian karting driver, representing Italy, loses racing contract after appearing to perform Nazi salute on podium

The global governing body behind the international motor sport, The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has launched an investigation after the winner of a karting race appeared to make a Nazi salute while celebrating his victory on the podium.

Russian driver Artem Severiukhin, fifteen, who was competing under the Italian flag due to sanctions against the country of his birth since its invasion of Ukraine, seemed to thump his chest and raise his right arm with a flat palm before laughing after winning the first round of the European Championship in Portugal on 10th April.

Following the incident, Mr Severiukhin has had his contract with Swedish team Ward Racing terminated. The team said that it condemned the driver’s behaviour in the “strongest possible terms” and is “deeply in shame”.

In a tearful video account of the incident, Mr Severiukhin said: “Standing on the podium I made a gesture which many perceived as a Nazi salute. I have never supported Nazism and consider it one of the most terrible crimes against humanity. I know it’s my fault, I know I’m stupid, and I’m ready to be punished. But please understand that I did not support Nazism or fascism with this gesture.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Complaints raised after Canadian hockey fans reportedly shout antisemitic slurs at child players

A minor level ice hockey organisation in Canada is facing complaints after it was reported that some fans who were attending games had targeted young Jewish players with antisemitic slurs.

The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) has reportedly hired a private investigator to deal with three sets of allegations from 31st October 2021, 11th November 2021, and 6th March 2022.

Each incident took place before or during an under-thirteens game between the Avenue Road Ducks and the Don Mills Mustangs, with the slurs apparently being made by parents of the Mustangs’ teenage players.

Vice President of Toronto’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Noah Shack, said: “No one should be subjected to hate when they are going to a rink to play hockey.”

With 2,800 and around 40,000 players, the Greater Toronto Hockey League is the largest youth ice hockey organisation in the world. In March 2022, the League published the findings of an independent committee which stated that racism and discrimination were endemic in the GTHL, though the report said nothing specific about antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Borussia Dortmund football club take a stand against antisemitism in football

German football club Borussia Dortmund has hosted a conference aimed at tackling antisemitism in world football.

The club organised the event in collaboration with the German Football League, the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the World Jewish Congress.

Problems with the far-right loom large in Borussia Dortmund’s history. Though it does not distinguish the club from many other German organisations at the time, the club’s chairman in the 1930s was a member of the Nazi Party. During the 1980s, the club’s fanbase included the Borussenfront, a far-right faction who would regularly target Dortmund’s Turkish population and sing songs about sending fans of arch-rivals Schalke to Auschwitz.

During a 2013 Champions League match with Ukraine’s Shaktar Donetsk, a group of far-right Dortmund fans launched themselves at fan representative Jens Volke and Thilo Danielsmeyer, the leader of the Dortmund Fan Project, a group founded in 1988 to combat xenophobia and racism and promote tolerance and inclusion. Mr Volke was struck in the face when he confronted three neo-Nazis chanting far-right slogans. Mr Danielsmeyer was followed into a toilet and then beaten. 

For some time, Borussia Dortmund appeared reluctant to recognise the problem of far-right activism and antisemitism among a minority of its fans.

Recently, however, the club has made strenuous efforts to challenge this culture, and reach out to the Jewish community.  The club’s Head of Corporate Responsibility, Daniel Lörcher, said that making “clear statements against antisemitism” had a huge impact on the city’s Jews, who now feel that their home town is “against antisemitism and is open for Jewish people.”

Tottenham Hotspur also hosted a conference this week that includes tackling antisemitism on its agenda, after the event was moved from Chelsea Football Club in light of recent events.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Police investigate football fans’ “f****** Jew” chant on train

West Midlands Police are reportedly looking into a video that appears to show football fans singing a song targeting Jewish people on a Birmingham train.

The video, uploaded to Twitter by Tottenham Hotspur fan @N17_SAUL, appears to show Arsenal supporters singing on their way to a fixture with Aston Villa on Saturday 19th March.

The song, which refers to the Jewish religious practice of circumcision in the context of Arsenal’s rivalry with Tottenham, ends with the words “f****** Jew.”

One fan is then reported as saying “Love that one,” amid the laughter of other members of the group.

A spokesman from Tottenham Hotspur is reported to have said: “Antisemitism in any form is wholly unacceptable and we support all efforts to kick it out of the game. We hope that those individuals conducting this vile chant are identified and dealt with in the strongest way possible.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2020 showed that three in five British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.

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Boston Red Sox player released following tweets directed at Jewish Chief Baseball Officer

A second baseman in the Boston Red Sox minor league has been released after embarking on a Twitter rant in which he targeted the baseball team’s Jewish Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom.

Brett Netzer was released after tweeting, in addition to other inflammatory tweets, that “chaim bloom is a bad actor. dude went to hebrew school and studied the torah growing up but sold his soul to the sodom and race groups. good thing he is good at whatever he does in baseball.”

Mr Netzer also tweeted: “is chaim bloom even jewish?? highly doubtful.”

He added: “the popular slavery/oppression victim-card doesnt go very far when the egyptians were the first people to enslave the One True God’s chosen people, the Hebrews. ironically there is no word for irony in Hebrew lol”

Mr Netzer also targeted Black people, writing: “ive heard a lot of black people call themselves ‘kings’ in america. king of what? lol. i think its time black people go back to their roots and start to re-establish their true black culture- not the fake bullsh*t in america.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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British boxer deletes Twitter account after posting “tone deaf” photographs outside Auschwitz concentration camp

A British boxer has deleted his Twitter account after posting “tone deaf” photographs of him and his girlfriend outside of Auschwitz concentration camp.

Jamie McDonnell, 35, posted three photographs that caused outrage on social media, with many Twitter users criticising him. 

The former British IBF champion appeared to double down in response to the backlash by accusing those who took offence of being “keyboard warriors”. In response to one Twitter user, Mr McDonnell wrote: “Ok mate it’s a tourist place is it not so if we visit we can’t smile, come on pal.” 

In another post, the boxer wrote: “I have a weekend away with my girlfriend, I’m not going to not smile am I, but I understand what’s happened chill out a bit.”

Mr McDonnell has since deleted his Twitter account. 

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Tottenham Hotspur to reassess usage of the word “yid” after publishing focus group results

North London’s Tottenham Hotspur football club has stated that it is to reassess the usage of the word “Yid” after holding focus groups on the matter.

The club, after conducting the first stage of its consultation with supporters in 2019, which found that 94% of the 23,000 respondents acknowledged that the word could be considered a racist term against a Jewish person, concluded its study in the summer of 2020.

Results from three focus groups were published. The club has stated that, from these results, it found that Spurs’ supporters who continued using the term would be open to reducing their usage of it if offence is being caused and that younger fans were less likely to understand the historical context and controversial nature of the word.

The club said in its statement: “It is clear the use of this term does not always make this possible, regardless of context and intention, and that there is a growing desire and acknowledgment from supporters that the Y-word should be used less or stop being used altogether. We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our Club.”

It added: “We acknowledge that any reassessment of the use of this term needs to be a collaborative effort between the Club and its fans. We shall be working to further outline the historical context of the term, to explain the offence it can cause and to embrace the times in which we now live to show why it can be considered inappropriate, regardless of context. There is some great work being undertaken in relation to wider anti-racism and anti-homophobia initiatives already.”

Concluding, the club said that in light of the work being undertaken to tackle racism and homophobia in football, it felt that “a similar approach is needed to address antisemitism, a sentiment that was also strongly borne out in our fan focus group work,” before stating that “Antisemitism remains a serious issue in football and more needs to be done to combat it. We believe that antisemitic abuse must be given the same zero tolerance that other forms of discriminatory behaviour receive. It should not be left to a minority in football to address and lead on this.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We applaud Tottenham for tackling this sensitive issue. Clearly, most Spurs fans using this term are doing so without malice, as a way of showing solidarity with their team. But more and more fans from other clubs are using the term as a form of abuse towards Spurs players, staff and fans, and are dangerously conflating their adversarial view of Tottenham with their perception of the Jewish community. This report, which points to a gradual phasing out of the use of the word in stadium chanting, is to be welcomed. In the meantime, other football clubs must urgently clamp down on the use of the phrase by their supporters as a form of abuse towards Spurs fans and as a racist epithet against ordinary Jews.”

Both the club’s owner, Dan Levy, and its fans have been subjected to antisemitic abuse in the past.

The Premier League, including Tottenham Hotspur has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently produced an Instagram post detailing recent incidents of antisemitism in football. 

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Belgian police investigate “gas Jews” soccer chants in Antwerp

Belgian police are investigating videos circulating on social media which appeared to show a group of soccer fans in Antwerp giving Nazi salutes and shouting antisemitic slogans and chants that included references to Hamas and to gassing and burning Jews.

According to the local newspaper which reported the incident, it took place at a restaurant near the soccer stadium and involved fans of Antwerp’s Beerschot team.

In an unrelated development, the Royal Belgian Soccer Association fined Brugge soccer team, Club Brugge, around £2,000 for antisemitic chants heard at three recent matches. Fans of the club were heard shouting “Whoever doesn’t jump is a Jew.”

Antisemitic soccer chants occur regularly where the fans of certain teams perceive the rival team as having strong Jewish support or links to the Jewish community, such as Amsterdam’s Ajax and Britain’s Tottenham Hotspur. There are times, however, that the soccer chants have also been heard outside the context of sports, including at a graduation party of high school students in the Netherlands.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

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“I’d rather die than be a Jew”: Prospective Arsenal transfer under fire for singing inflammatory song at rival fans

While Arsenal have been strongly linked with Club Brugge player Noa Lang, some have voiced their concerns about video footage of the player allegedly singing an inflammatory song at rival fans.

Videos from May 2021 have surfaced of Mr Lang appearing to sing lyrics including “I’d rather die than be a Jew” at fans of Club Brugge’s Brussels-based rivals Anderlecht. Like some other clubs in Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and Cracovia, Anderlecht have a reputation for being a “Jewish” club.

Although it has been reported that Mr Lang has come under investigation by the Belgian Football Association for his alleged involvement in the chant, instead of apologising Mr Lang reportedly said in a statement: “My dad’s Surinamese and my mother’s Dutch. I know all about racism and bias. I chanted enthusiastically with supporters I met for the first time after winning. As a former Ajax fan I know very well the soccer world’s nicknames. I did not mean to offend anyone. I’m done with the subject and won’t be revisiting it.” 

Club Brugge released a statement that defended Mr Lang and denied that there was anything antisemitic about the chant, saying “When Noa Lang sang with our fans, there was no antisemitic undertone. Noa did not mean to insult or hurt anyone in any way and we are sorry if this happened.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Sports broadcaster Abbi Grace Summers confronts West Ham football fan hurling antisemitic abuse at her on train to Tottenham Hotspur game

The sports broadcaster Abbi Grace Summers confronted a West Ham football fan who hurled antisemitic abuse at her on a train to a game between the Hammers and Tottenham Hotspur.

The abuse took place on a London Underground train on 22nd December.

Footage from a video, which went viral online, showed Ms Summers accusing the West Ham fan of shouting antisemitic abuse at her, which was not caught on camera. The man smirks at her as she invites him to “say it to my face.”

Ms Summers tweeted the video to the police, writing: “Hi @metpoliceuk would like to report an incident on the 18:45 train from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane. This man continuously shouting antisemitic comments and behaviour and clearly not sorry when called up on…[sic].”

Speaking the next day on the radio, Ms Summers said that she is “all for football banter…but it suddenly turned antisemitic.” She said that it is a “line that you don’t have to cross.” She also observed that nobody in the train carriage said anything in reaction to the abuse, noting that “I was the only woman on that carriage and I took a stand against it.” She added: “It’s sad we can’t govern ourselves, it was unfortunate no one else stood up.”

A spokesperson for the British Transport Police said: “British Transport Police received a report of antisemitic behaviour onboard a London Overground train travelling from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane yesterday evening (22 December). Witnesses or anyone with information can contact us by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 433 of 22/12/21.”

Recently, three West Ham fans were arrested after a video surfaced of West Ham fans allegedly chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

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Celtic FC reportedly refuse to state whether antisemitism investigation promised in January has begun

Celtic FC has reportedly refused to state whether the antisemitism investigation that the club promised to undertake in January has begun or not.

The club promised an investigation to Scottish Jewish leaders after Celtic fans unleashed a torrent of abuse at the club’s Israeli midfielder after a loss to rival Rangers.

Nir Bitton was called a “dirty Jew bastard” and a “Zionist rat” on social media after receiving a red card in the match. His wife also revealed that she has been subjected to abuse, including calls for her and her husband to be “hanged”. One post said: “Here you ya cow, you and yer husband deserve tae be hung on the streets. F**k you and yer wains.”

Their two children have also reportedly had abuse directed at them as well.

This is not the first time that Mr Bitton has disclosed the abuse he suffers from some of the club’s fans; in 2016 the police launched an investigation after a Celtic fan said that Mr Bitton should be gassed.

It is also not Celtic’s first brush with controversy over Jews or Israel, having been sanctioned by UEFA in the past over persistent problems. In the Scottish FA Cup final in 2016, for example, fans displayed a banner reading “end Zionism”. A Jewish former director of the club was also subjected to abuse by fans, including “Get this Ashkenazi c*** out of OUR club and take that other fake jew p**** Bitton with him [sic]”, and “He’s a Jew what do you expect”.

At the time, a spokesperson for Celtic FC said that it has passed its fans’ “vile” comments to Police Scotland and called for those responsible to be identified, adding that “all appropriate action should be taken”. The spokesperson added that “those responsible for such vile comments do not represent Celtic or Celtic supporters. They are faceless and nameless.”

However, there have reportedly been no confirmations as to whether such action has been taken yet. 

Jordan Allison, Campaign Manager for Show Racism the Red Card said: “The problem we have in Scottish football is that these incidents are not being documented enough. The victims don’t feel confident enough to report it to police or stewards. In turn, the stewards are not trained in how to record it as a form of racism. There’s far more work to be done.  We are so far behind in Scotland that the authorities are not at the stage yet where they can do something about it.” 

The Premier League has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently produced an Instagram post detailing recent incidents of antisemitism in football. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Former England striker Carlton Cole apologises for describing poor football performance as “a Holocaust” on live radio

The former England striker Carlton Cole has apologised after he described a poor football performance as “a Holocaust” during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Speaking on West Ham boss David Moyes and whether he had chosen a defensive side against Manchester City, Mr Cole said: “You can say he has gone a bit negative. Why not? You’ve got to give Man City some respect otherwise you’re going to get picked off. Otherwise it will be a Holocaust and you don’t want that.”

Later during the programme, Mr Cole said: “I’d just like to apologise to the listeners for a totally unacceptable phrase that I used earlier in the show. I’m sorry if I’ve offended anybody, really and truly. Sorry.”

This is not the first time a Holocaust reference has been made in the context of describing a poor performance.

In October, Joey Barton, the former football player and current manager of Bristol Rovers Football Club, issued an apology after he also described a bad football performance as “a Holocaust”.

Reacting to Bristol Rovers’ loss to Newport County, Mr Barton said: “I said to the lads during the week, you know, the team’s almost like musical chairs, you know. Someone gets in and does well, but then gets suspended. Someone gets in and does well, gets injured. Someone gets in, does well for a game and then has a Holocaust, a nightmare, you know, an absolute disaster.”

Mr Barton later apologised, stating: “Clearly no offence was meant, but some people have rightly pointed out to me the use of the analogy was not correct. So if anybody was offended by that, I would like to apologise for that. I think the FA were right to write to me and remind me of that. You hope to use better analogies in future, but it was certainly with no malice or offence intended to anybody.”

In 2019, football pundit and former footballer, Perry Groves, apologised after reportedly describing a player as having “a Holocaust of a game” on a live radio show. One year earlier, Phil Brown, the football player turned manager, apologised for using the same phrase.

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CAA’s Stephen Silverman explains history of antisemitic tropes to Azeem Rafiq in JC tour of Jewish Museum with Holocaust survivor

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, joined the cricketer Azeem Rafiq on a tour of the Jewish Museum, organised by the JC, with a Holocaust survivor.

Mr Rafiq recently highlighted the problem of racial abuse in cricket before it emerged that he had made antisemitic comments when he was nineteen.

The thirty-year-old former Yorkshire cricketer has been praised for exposing racism in the sport, including during his tearful testimony at a hearing of the House of Commons’ Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, where he said that racism destroyed his career.

But he then had to apologise after it was revealed that he and former Leicestershire cricketer Ateeq Javid, in an apparent discussion about another professional cricketer, appeared to accuse the latter of being reluctant to spend money on a meal out because “he is a Jew”. Mr Rafiq joked that he will “probs go after my 2nds again ha…Only Jews do tht sort of shit [sic].”

Mr Rafiq has since apologised and looked to learn more about anti-Jewish racism. In a JC-organised tour of the Jewish Museum, Mr Rafiq was accompanied by Holocaust survivor Ruth Barnett and Mr Silverman, who explained the history of the antisemitic trope of Jews and money and why Mr Rafiq’s historic remarks had been so hurtful.

Mr Silverman also told Mr Rafiq of his own experiences of being teased and insulted as a child because he was Jewish: “It was always two things, either ‘you killed Christ’ or comments about Jews and money. The word ‘Jew’ used as an insult was a constant soundtrack.” Mr Silverman added that “Forty years later, my daughter joined the same school. And she experienced exactly the same antisemitism.”

Mr Rafiq said: “Racism can be subtle and discreet. It breaks you slowly. I was constantly asking myself if I was being too sensitive, if it was only a joke. Now that I’ve learned about the history of my comments, I understand the hurt and I’m really sorry to the Jewish community.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

Image credit: Rick Findler

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After highlighting problem of racial abuse in cricket, Azeem Rafiq apologises for antisemitic comments made when he was nineteen

Azeem Rafiq, the cricketer who recently highlighted the problem of racial abuse in cricket, has apologised after antisemitic comments that he made when he was nineteen were revealed today.

The thirty-year-old former Yorkshire cricketer has been praised for exposing racism in the sport, including during his tearful testimony at a hearing of the House of Commons’ Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, where he said that racism destroyed his career.

The Times, however, revealed today that Mr Rafiq sent antisemitic messages in 2011, when he was nineteen. According to the newspaper, Mr Rafiq and his interlocutor, former Leicestershire cricketer Ateeq Javid, were apparently discussing another professional cricketer whom they appeared to accuse of being reluctant to spend money on a meal out because “he is a Jew”. Mr Rafiq joked that he will “probs go after my 2nds again ha…Only Jews do tht sort of shit [sic].”

In a statement to The Times, Mr Rafiq said: “I was sent an image of this exchange from early 2011 today. I have gone back to check my account and it is me. I have absolutely no excuses. I am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offence. I was nineteen at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today. I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Austrian Football Association and Austrian Football League adopt International Definition of Antisemitism

The Austrian Football Association and the Austrian Football League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The document effecting the adoption was signed by the main footballing bodies during a ceremony last Thursday at the Judenplatz in Vienna.

The ceremony was attended by the Vice Chancellor of Austria and other Government officials, as well as the leader of the Jewish community of Vienna.

The signing took place ahead of a World Cup qualifying match between Austria and Israel in Klagenfurth last Friday.

Last year, the Premier League in England adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local council, universities and sport associations in the UK have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Third man arrested over antisemitic chanting by West Ham fans on flight to match

A third man has reportedly been arrested after a video surfaced last week of West Ham fans chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

Two men have already been arrested in connection with the incident, during which West Ham supporters, on a Ryanair flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk, were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow passenger.

A 31-year-old man from Dartford was arrested on 8th November after he voluntarily attended a police station 

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Tom Simons, who is leading the investigation, said: “Essex Police will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind. Having been made aware of the incident this morning, officers worked quickly to secure an arrest at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to Ryanair asking what was done to protect the Jewish victim of the antisemitic chanting by the West Ham fans and how the airline will help the club identify and ban these supporters for life.

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is not the first time a minority of West Ham supporters have engaged in grotesque antisemitic abuse. We commend both the police for these arrests and the club for swiftly imposing bans on those from the video whom it identifies. Football clubs have long said the right things about kicking racism out of the football, and it is reassuring that West Ham is taking this opportunity to translate those promises into action. We are in contact with Ryanair to understand from the airline what action its crew took on board to protect its passenger from racist abuse.”

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Yorkshire head coach suspended over “antisemitic” tweet  

Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire head coach, has reportedly been suspended pending his investigation over a tweet that has been deemed antisemitic.

In November 2010, after an exchange of messages on Twitter with Paul Dews, the current Head of Communications at Middlesbrough Football Club, Mr Gale tweeted: “Thought you might pipe up! Button it yid!” in a now-deleted tweet uncovered by Jewish News.

Mr Gale said of the incident: “This post is part of a conversational thread between Paul Dews and myself. Paul worked for Leeds United Football Club at the time and I am an avid Huddersfield Town fan. The reference is to a chant that was prevalent at the time in relation to Leeds fans. Within a few minutes of the post, Paul called me and explained the meaning of the word and that it was offensive to Jews. I was completely unaware of this meaning and removed the post immediately”

“I would never have used the word had I been aware of its offensive meaning and I have never used it since.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board said: “We strongly condemn any form of discrimination and have procedures in place to address conduct which is alleged to be of this nature. We will investigate as part of our disciplinary process.”

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Leeds United Football Club include statement condemning antisemitism into matchday programme 

Leeds United Football Club included a statement in which it condemned antisemitism into its matchday programme on Sunday.

The statement made a point to speak out against fans who they say have “tarnished some fixtures by using antisemitic chanting, noises and gestures.” 

On the issue of the usage of the word ‘yid’ in football, Leeds United added that it also opposed the “justification of opposition fans using specific terms as a form of identity”, and that the club “must make it clear that there is no place for such behaviour at Leeds United Football Club, regardless of its use by supporters of other clubs or its inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary, whereby definition the Y-word is described as ‘derogatory and offensive’.” 

It continued: “Discriminatory actions or language have no place anywhere in football or society and everyone associated with Leeds United is proud to be part of an inclusive and diverse club. Our players, staff, fans and visitors come from such a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, including the Jewish community, and we want to ensure that everyone feels safe and valued at all times.

“We would like to urge all of our supporters to think about the words they use and show their support in the right way, at Elland Road and any other ground around the country.” 

Last week, two men were arrested after a video surfaced of West Ham fans chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match. West Ham has since confirmed that it has banned two of those involved in the chanting.

The Premier League, including Leeds United, have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We commend Leeds United for taking a firm stand against antisemitism, particularly given the various high-profile instances of abhorrent anti-Jewish racism by some football supporters of other clubs. Antisemitism in sport in intolerable, and other football clubs should follow Leeds’ admirable example.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Yorkshire head coach investigated over “antisemitic” tweet  

Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire head coach, is being investigated over a tweet that has been deemed antisemitic.

In November 2010, after an exchange of messages on Twitter with Paul Dews, the current Head of Communications at Middlesbrough Football Club, Mr Gale tweeted: “Thought you might pipe up! Button it yid!” in a now-deleted tweet uncovered by Jewish News.

Mr Gale said of the incident: “This post is part of a conversational thread between Paul Dews and myself. Paul worked for Leeds United Football Club at the time and I am an avid Huddersfield Town fan. The reference is to a chant that was prevalent at the time in relation to Leeds fans. Within a few minutes of the post, Paul called me and explained the meaning of the word and that it was offensive to Jews. I was completely unaware of this meaning and removed the post immediately”

“I would never have used the word had I been aware of its offensive meaning and I have never used it since.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board said: “We strongly condemn any form of discrimination and have procedures in place to address conduct which is alleged to be of this nature. We will investigate as part of our disciplinary process.”

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West Ham confirms it has so far banned two supporters for life over antisemitic chanting on flight to match

West Ham has confirmed that it has so far banned two supporters for life over antisemitic chanting on a flight to a Europa League match.

Two men have also been arrested after a video surfaced last week of West Ham fans chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow on a Ryanair flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk.

Essex Police have arrested two men so far in connection with the incident. It is not currently clear whether the two banned supporters are also the two suspects.

West Ham’s Manager, David Moyes, said on Friday: “I don’t see our football club being like that. We are a diverse football club. There’s no room for discrimination anywhere.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to Ryanair asking what was done to protect the Jewish victim of the antisemitic chanting by the West Ham fans and how the airline will help the club identify and ban these supporters for life.

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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CAA calls on Met Police to disclose what action has been taken against Vitesse supporters who appeared to perform Nazi salutes against Tottenham Hotspur fans

Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on the Metropolitan Police to disclose what action has been taken against SBV Vitesse supporters who appeared to perform Nazi salutes against Tottenham Hotspur fans.

The gestures were spotted at the 4th November match between the Dutch club and the North London team, which has long been associated with the Jewish community. The match was at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Groups of Vitesse fans have a history of inflammatory behaviour, for example earlier this year the club distanced itself from fans who sang “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas!” The chants were sung in solidarity with a team playing Ajax, a fellow Dutch club also associated with the Jewish community.

It is understood that commentators on the Tottenham match noted the gestures and that police ejected groups of fans from the stadium, although pictures and reports of the incident paint an unclear picture of whether the gestures were Nazi salutes or not.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has therefore called on the Metropolitan Police to disclose what action it took and what its investigation has turned up.

Image credit: Twitter

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Two men arrested after West Ham fans were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic passenger on a flight

Two men have been arrested after a video surfaced earlier this week of West Ham fans chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

The West Ham supporters were on a Ryanair flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk. On the flight out, fans were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow passenger.

Two men have now been arrested in connection with the incident. Essex Police released a statement on 5th November in which they confirmed that a 55-year-old man was arrested at Stansted Airport just before 16:00 on Friday. The man was arrested as he stepped off the plane from Belgium and was taken in to an Essex Police Station for questioning.

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Tom Simons, who is leading the investigation, later said: “Essex Police will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind. Having been made aware of the incident this morning, officers worked quickly to secure an arrest at the earliest possible opportunity.”

It has since emerged that a second arrest has been made. Essex Police announced that a 26-year-old man was arrested yesterday at approximately 16:30 as he stepped off a flight from the Netherlands. The 26-year-old was also taken in for questioning and has been released on police bail until 1st December. The police confirmed that the man was arrested on suspicion of Section 4A Public Order (racially or religiously aggravated).

Regarding the incident on the flight, a West Ham spokesperson has said in a statement: “West Ham United is appalled by the contents of the video circulating on social media and condemn the behaviour of the individuals involved. The club is liaising with the airline and relevant authorities to identify the individuals. We continue to be unequivocal in our stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Any individuals identified will be issued with an indefinite ban from the club. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the football club and we do not welcome any individuals who do not share those values.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to Ryanair asking what was done to protect the Jewish victim of the antisemitic chanting by the West Ham fans and how the airline will help the club identify and ban these supporters for life.

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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Chelsea fan sent to prison for eight weeks over antisemitic tweets aimed at Tottenham supporters

A man who pleaded guilty to sending a series of antisemitic, hateful and racist tweets has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, Nathan Blagg, 21, of Retford in Nottinghamshire, was charged in September with seven counts of sending by public communication network an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter which violates the Malicious Communications Act. The charges refer to seven tweets sent between 29th September 2020 and 5th February 2021. 

Mr Blagg pleaded guilty to all charges. The court heard that Mr Blagg was initially reported by a West Brom fan before his posts were investigated by Chelsea Football Club’s security team and finally passed on to the police. The posts included images as well as tweets and retweets of offensive messages. 

Prosecutor David Roberts said that there was a “racially aggravated” element because of the “antisemitic nature” of many of the tweets. 

Maeve Thornton, defending, reportedly said that Mr Blagg had been suffering at the time from “low moods” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Thornton said: “He has got drawn into this in terms of a lack of awareness and understanding of the impact this was going to have. With hindsight, he now understands how wrong this is. He is indeed very remorseful and very apologetic and has taken steps to address his offending by removing himself from Twitter. There is not going to be a repeat of this behaviour moving forward.”

However, today Westminster Magistrates’ Court sentenced Mr Blagg to eight weeks in prison.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We welcome this sentence, which sends a message to fans that there is no place for antisemitism in football. We commend Chelsea FC and the police for investigating and seeing the case through. Kicking racism out of football will only succeed when all interested parties cooperate, as they have done in this case.”

In April, Chelsea Football Club announced that it had banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Chelsea and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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CAA calls on Ryanair to help West Ham identify and ban fans who were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match

Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on Ryanair to help West Ham FC identify and ban fans who were filmed chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

The West Ham supporters were on a flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk. On the flight out, fans were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow passenger.

This is not the first time that West Ham fans have been documented singing this antisemitic chant, or indeed engaging in other antisemitic abuse. Almost every year there is an incident related to antisemitism involving individual supporters or groups of fans of West Ham.

In 2016, two fans were convicted under the Crime and Disorder Act of racially aggravated harassment alarm and distress for singing antisemitic football songs on a train in 2015. British Transport Police issued an appeal for witnesses, which Campaign Against Antisemitism and others circulated widely.

In 2017, a Jewish man and his non-Jewish female companion were subjected to horrific antisemitic abuse by fans of West Ham on the London Underground.

In 2019, the club banned one supporter for life after video footage emerged apparently showing fans singing antisemitic chants in a game early in the 2018-19 football season.

Also that year, West Ham pledged to ban for life any fans that it identifies from a video in which football thugs can be heard chanting on public transport: “We’ll be running around Tottenham with our willies hanging out, singing ‘I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you, f***ing Jew’.” Tottenham Hotspur has traditionally enjoyed the support of a large number of Jewish football fans.

Earlier this year, West Ham’s message on Facebook wishing the Jewish community a happy new year was inundated with negative – and in some cases explicitly antisemitic – responses, which the club has yet to take down.

Regarding this latest incident on the flight, a West Ham spokesperson has said in a statement: “West Ham United is appalled by the contents of the video circulating on social media and condemn the behaviour of the individuals involved. The club is liaising with the airline and relevant authorities to identify the individuals. We continue to be unequivocal in our stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Any individuals identified will be issued with an indefinite ban from the club. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the football club and we do not welcome any individuals who do not share those values.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is not the first time a minority of West Ham supporters have engaged in grotesque antisemitic abuse. Ryanair must explain what its crew did to protect the Jewish victim and disclose whether it has alerted the police. The airline must also assist West Ham to identify the supporters so that the club can fulfil its pledge to ban these fans for life. Football clubs have long said the right things about kicking racism out of the football, and here is an opportunity to translate those promises into action.”

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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UEFA punish German football club after fans perform Nazi salutes and shout antisemitic abuse during match with Israeli team

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have punished Union Berlin football club after some of its fans performed Nazi salutes and shouted antisemitic abuse towards opposing supporters during its match with Israeli team Maccabi Haifa.

A youth group promoting German and Israeli interests who attended the match on 30th September said that they were “threatened by Union fans, pelted with beer and insulted, among other things, as ‘s****y Jews’”. Images of fans performing Nazi salutes, which is illegal in Germany, also surfaced on Twitter. 

Members of the group also stated that several Union Berlin fans tried to stop the abuse, to whom they were grateful. 

Shortly after the news of the antisemitic acts were reported, club president Dirk Zinglers stated: “This behaviour is shameful and we won’t tolerate it. We apologise to those affected. Antisemitism is unfortunately still present in our society, which is why it also shows itself in the stadium. However, we will never tolerate discrimination in our ranks. It is important to remain vigilant and to work tirelessly against it.”

UEFA said that it had punished Union Berlin due to “the racist behavior of its supporters” during the match, ordering the club to shut down sections thirteen and fourteen “where the home supporters are seated” in its game against Dutch team Feyenoord on Thursday. In addition, Union Berlin must also use those sections to display a banner bearing the phrase “#NoToRacism” alongside the UEFA logo.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Recent days have seen multiple high-profile antisemitic incidents in football, both domestic and international. UEFA is right to sanction the club and force it to publicise that the penalty is due to racism. But the club itself must also now act, by identifying the perpetrators and giving them life bans. Like those decent Union Berlin fans who tried to stop the abuse, the club itself, and German clubs more generally, should be particularly sensitive to antisemitism among any of their supporters and step in to stamp it out.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Farenet

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Polish referee responds to anti-racism event invitation with e-mail ranting about Jewish people

A Polish referee has reportedly responded to an invitation to an online anti-racism debate with an e-mail in which he ranted about Jewish people. 

The Never Again Association, a leading anti-racism organisation in Poland, organised an “online debate on antisemitism and intolerance in Polish and European stadiums” through its ‘Let’s Kick Racism out of the Stadiums’ campaign where a variety of organisations and individuals were invited, including the Fare network, another organisation that tackles racism in football, and the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, as well as football clubs Borussia Dortmund and Feyenoord Rotterdam.

However, Lukasz Araszkiewicz – who the Never Again Association describe as a “long-term referee in the Polish leagues, a graduate of FIFA training courses and member of the Wielkopolska Football Association, WZPN (part of the Polish Football Association, PZPN)” – reportedly replied to his invitation with an e-mail in which he ranted against Jewish people. 

His response allegedly said: “As a referee with seventeen years of experience refereeing at various levels, I have never witnessed antisemitic behavior; [but] racism – quite the contrary. This is just another utter balderdash spun by Jewish centers and milieus – one knows very well for what purpose. Please do not send me such invitations anymore because I do not agree with it at all. Jews are not a chosen people despite that eternal hubris of theirs… and portraying Poles as antisemites and talking about Polish concentration camps is the biggest Jewish f***ing despicable thing since World War 2.”

His comments were condemned by the anti-racism organisation who claimed that they “repeated the most widespread antisemitic myths about the Jewish community”, adding: “Unfortunately, the words of Mr. Araszkiewicz show that the use of negative stereotypes about Jews is a phenomenon that is still present also in the world of football.”

 In a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Never Again Association implored him to “take a principled position” on the incident. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Joey Barton issues apology after describing bad football performance as ‘a Holocaust’

Joey Barton, the former football player and current manager of Bristol Rovers Football Club, has issued an apology after he described bad football performance as “a Holocaust” on Saturday.

Reacting to Bristol Rovers’ loss to Newport County, Mr Barton said: “I said to the lads during the week, you know, the team’s almost like musical chairs, you know. Someone gets in and does well, but then gets suspended. Someone gets in and does well, gets injured. Someone gets in, does well for a game and then has a Holocaust, a nightmare, you know, an absolute disaster.”

Mr Barton has now issued an apology, stating: “Clearly no offence was meant, but some people have rightly pointed out to me the use of the analogy was not correct. So if anybody was offended by that, I would like to apologise for that. I think the FA were right to write to me and remind me of that. You hope to use better analogies in future, but it was certainly with no malice or offence intended to anybody.”

He added: “It’s our duty to be word perfect and not create controversy. I get that everything we say, even this I’m saying now will no doubt be pieced together in such a way that it will be there to grab and capture the attention of people that use social media, the internet. For me, it was a poor analogy to use in the context of the modern-day world we live in, and it won’t happen again.”

This is not the first time a Holocaust reference has been made in the context of describing a poor performance.

In 2019, football pundit and former footballer, Perry Groves, apologised after reportedly describing a player as having “a Holocaust of a game” on a live radio show. One year earlier, Phil Brown, the football player turned manager, apologised for using the same phrase.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Trivial comparisons to the Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million Jewish men, women and children, are never acceptable. Joey Barton is right to apologise, but it remains remarkable that he and others too often feel it appropriate to make such thoughtless comments in the first place. Mr Barton would do well to consider undertaking Holocaust education and using his platform to encourage others to do so to better understand the impact of his words.”

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Bristol Rovers manager and former footballer Joey Barton describes bad football performance as ‘a Holocaust’

In an interview on Saturday, Joey Barton, the former football player and current manager of Bristol Rovers Football Club, used the word ‘Holocaust’ to describe a bad performance during a football match.

Reacting to Bristol Rovers’ loss to Newport County, Mr Barton said: “I said to the lads during the week, you know, the team’s almost like musical chairs, you know. Someone gets in and does well, but then gets suspended. Someone gets in and does well, gets injured. Someone gets in, does well for a game and then has a Holocaust, a nightmare, you know, an absolute disaster.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Mr Barton’s comparison of the Holocaust — the systematic murder of six million Jewish men, women and children — to describe a poor performance on the pitch is at best, a shocking act of ignorance and at worst a disgusting gesture of disrespect to those who were murdered by the Nazis and survivors. Mr Barton should at the very least apologise to Holocaust survivors and undertake a course in Holocaust education.”

This is not the first time a Holocaust reference has been made in the context of describing a poor performance.

In 2019, football pundit and former footballer, Perry Groves, apologised after reportedly describing a player as having “a Holocaust of a game” on a live radio show. One year earlier, Phil Brown, the football player turned manager, apologised for using the same phrase.

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Newcastle United launch investigation after alleged racist gesture made towards Tottenham fans during match

Newcastle United Football Club has launched an investigation after an individual allegedly made a racist gesture towards Tottenham supporters during a Premier League match.

Police have also been made aware of the incident which occurred at St James’ Park this past Sunday.

Though the club has not specified what the gesture entailed, a photograph that circulated on Twitter yesterday appeared to show a man performing a Nazi salute at the club’s stadium. 

On its website, the football club released a statement yesterday in which they wrote: “Our message is clear – football is for everyone. Discrimination has absolutely no place in football, in the street, online or in wider society and we will not tolerate it under any circumstances.

“Newcastle United will pursue the strongest possible action against anyone involved in discriminatory behaviour and will support any efforts by the authorities to secure a criminal conviction. The club is adhering to the Premier League commitment regarding Abusive and Discriminatory conduct, which facilitates the banning of any fan found to have been involved in abusive and/or discriminatory conduct from all Premier League stadia.”

It continued: “For this alleged incident to take place at a time when all Premier League clubs are visibly supporting the No Room For Racism campaign shows the work we all have ahead of us, to which we remain absolutely committed.”

Urging fans to report discriminatory behaviour at St James’ Park, they asked people to “please text HELP followed by your seat location and details of the incident to 60070”.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm we are investigating an alleged racist incident during Newcastle United’s home fixture with Tottenham at St James’ Park on Sunday. Enquiries are ongoing with the club to identify anyone involved and ascertain whether criminal offences have been committed. 

“As a force, we do not tolerate hate crime of any kind within our communities and are committed to taking swift and robust action against perpetrators.”

Last week, a poster with the words “Achtung Juden”, which is German for “Attention Jews”, put up by the Millwall Berserkers hooligan group was found near Millwall Football Club stadium. The poster also featured the cockerel from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s logo with its head detached from its body and lying in blood. 

The Premier League adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism last December.

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Millwall football hooligans’ threatening “Attention Jews” poster found near club’s stadium

A poster with the words “Achtung Juden”, which is German for “Attention Jews”, put up by the Millwall Berserkers hooligan group was found near Millwall Football Club stadium.

The poster also featured the cockerel from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s logo with its head detached from its body and lying in blood.

Millwall Football Club removed the poster and said: “Millwall Football Club has a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination of any kind. This is a disgraceful action which the club immediately reported to the British Transport Police. Millwall will provide them with full and comprehensive cooperation with their investigation and any individual or group identified will be banned from the club for life.”

Millwall FC Supporters Club also condemned the poster, saying that it “abhors any such comment or content and that such material has not been produced or distributed by anyone with our knowledge. Whoever did so does not represent the Millwall fan base.”

On the Millwall Berserkers’ Instagram page, they have uploaded several of their logos and posters, two of which bear a striking resemblance to Nazi symbols. 

One poster displays the words “South London Hooligans” alongside an image of a bird that appears almost identical to that of the Nazi eagle. Another logo seemingly utilises the Othala Rune, a symbol that is a part of the Runic alphabet which was co-opted by the Nazi Party and has since been used as a symbol of white supremacy. 

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Chelsea fan pleads guilty to sending antisemitic tweets aimed towards Tottenham supporters 

A man who was charged after a series of antisemitic, hateful, and racist tweets were identified by Chelsea Football Club has pleaded guilty. 

After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, Nathan Blagg, 21, of Retford in Nottinghamshire was charged last month with seven counts of sending by public communication network an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter which violate the Malicious Communications Act. The charges refer to seven tweets sent between 29th September, 2020 and 5th February, 2021. 

Mr Blagg pleaded guilty to all charges today at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The court heard that Mr Blagg was initially reported by a West Brom fan before his posts were investigated by Chelsea Football Club’s security team and finally passed on to the police. The posts included images as well as tweets and retweets of offensive messages. 

Prosecutor David Roberts said that there was a “racially aggravated” element because of the “antisemitic nature” of many of the tweets. 

Maeve Thornton, defending, reportedly said that Mr Blagg had been suffering at the time from “low moods” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Thornton said: “He has got drawn into this in terms of a lack of awareness and understanding of the impact this was going to have.

“With hindsight, he now understands how wrong this is. He is indeed very remorseful and very apologetic and has taken steps to address his offending by removing himself from Twitter. There is not going to be a repeat of this behaviour moving forward.”

Mr Blagg has been released on unconditional bail until the date of his sentencing, which is expected to be held on 5th November.

In April, Chelsea Football Club announced that it had banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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Chelsea assists in getting man charged for antisemitic tweets

A man has been charged after a series of antisemitic, hateful, and racist tweets were identified by Chelsea Football Club.

After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, Nathan Blagg, 21, of Retford in Nottinghamshire has been charged with seven counts of sending by public communication network an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter which violate the Malicious Communications Act.

The charges refer to seven tweets sent between 5th February, 2020 and 3rd February, 2021. Mr Blagg was reportedly arrested in February of this year and is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 8th October.

In April, Chelsea Football Club announced that it had banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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Harry Kane suffers antisemitic abuse while black England players also on receiving end of racist chanting at qualifier match in Hungary

Harry Kane, the captain of England’s football team, has reported that he suffered antisemitic abuse at a match in Hungary yesterday.

England defeated Hungary 4-0 in the Budapest qualifier match for the World Cup, with Mr Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, reporting that he received antisemitic abuse at the game, possibly due his connection with his Premier League club’s long association with Jewish fans.

Mr Kane called on UEFA, the umbrella body for European football, to take action in response to the appalling abuse that he and his teammates received, particularly England’s black players.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called on FIFA, football’s global body, to “take strong action” against those attendees at the match who behaved shamefully.

Mr Kane has previously suffered antisemitic abuse in England.

Antisemitism and racism have no place in sport, which should bring nations, communities, ethnicities and those of all faiths and none together.

English football’s governing body, the Football Association (FA), has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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CAA writes to talkSPORT demanding live on-air apology after presenters allow “He’s a Jew, he’s not gonna let him go for nothing” comment about Daniel Levy to go unchallenged

Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to talkSPORT to demand a live on-air apology after two of the radio show’s presenters allowed a hateful comment from a caller about Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman, Daniel Levy, to go unchallenged.

The show’s segment was presented by Perry Groves, a football pundit and former footballer, and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, a reporter for Channel 4 News, and included a discussion about Tottenham Hotspur player Harry Kane.

Mr Jarrett-Bryan asks the caller: “Are you saying Spurs should get the fee that they feel he’s worth, and if they don’t get that, he’s not going anywhere?”

Referring to Mr Levy, the caller responds: “He’s a Jew, he’s not gonna let him go for nothing, is he?”

The presenters, visibly shocked, then cut off the caller and tried to swiftly move the conversation on without acknowledging the comment that had just been made.

This is not the first time talksSPORT has been involved in controversy relating to inflammatory comments. Phil Brown, the football player turned manager, issued a heartfelt apology in 2018 to Campaign Against Antisemitism after referring to Chelsea Football Club midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko as having had a “Holocaust of a game” on the radio show.  

Last year on talkSPORT, Mr Groves made a nearly identical remark when he referred to goalkeeper Mat Ryan’s performance in the match, saying that the player “had a Holocaust of a game.”

Mr Levy has received antisemitic abuse in the past. One incident in April saw a tweet that was said to have contained several antisemitic tropes removed and reported to the police.

In a separate incident, a user wrote: “Them 3 fat AMERICAN C***S YOU F***ING BASTARDS. And as for that Jew levy your family should have been gassed. Inters owners also ruined the cal champions. Perez is in the f***ing mafia”.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Perry Groves and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan must apologise live on air for their failure to call out a remark by a caller disparaging Daniel Levy because he is Jewish. Perry Groves has his own inflammatory record to redeem, while, for Jarrett-Bryan, whose pinned tweet is all about stamping racism out of football, it is particularly disappointing that he missed the opportunity to do his part in achieving that aim. TalkSPORT’s listeners deserve better.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected].

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Antisemitic mural of Dutch footballer Steven Berghuis investigated by police

An antisemitic mural of Dutch footballer Steven Berghuis, who is not himself Jewish, is being investigated by police, it was reported last Friday.

The image depicts the footballer wearing a concentration camp uniform and the yellow star that the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust. The player’s nose was exaggerated in size, a key feature in antisemitic Nazi propaganda, and a skullcap was also drawn on his head. The words “Joden lopen altijd weg” were spray-painted beside the image, which translates to “Jews always run away”.

The mural appeared after the footballer announced that he was signing from Feyenoord Rotterdam to rivals Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, a club that has embraced its associations to Judaism (although it has no formal ties), even referring to themselves as “Joden”, which has often seen them on the receiving end of antisemitic chants.

Feyenoord Rotterdam have said that they have “no idea who is doing this and therefore not to what extent they really have a relationship with the club,” but a representative also added that if the culprit was found to be a supporter of the team, that person would be “banned from the club’s stadium for life.”

They also added that the club had “been working for many years to combat antisemitism,” which “ranges from webinars and workshops to educational trips to Auschwitz and Birkenau.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: CIDI

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Olympics opening ceremony director fired day before event for making Holocaust joke

Kentaro Kobayashi, the Director for the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, has been fired the day before the ceremony is scheduled to begin for making a joke about the Holocaust.

The joke in question occurred in 1998 when Mr Kobayashi, a former comedian, performed a live sketch in which he held up paper dolls and said to his comedy partner that they were “the ones from that time you said ‘let’s play the Holocaust’.”

A video of the sketch surfaced on Twitter yesterday, prompting outrage.

Mr Kobayashi has released a statement in light of his release as Director which read: “Entertainment should not make people feel uncomfortable. I understand that my stupid choice of words at that time was wrong, and I regret it.”

Last year, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) apologised for posting a tweet that appeared to celebrate the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games hosted by Nazi Germany.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“Are you even from this country?” Jewish England fan abused at Wembley

A Jewish fan has reported that he received abuse last night as he entered Wembley to watch the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.

Jolyon Rubeinstein, a satirist, recounted on Twitter: “I was racially abused last night as I was entering Wembley stadium. My shirt has Rubinstein on the back. I took my coat off & immediately: ‘Are you even from this country’ & ‘he’s a Jew’ followed by laughs & jeers by a group of 6 men in their 50’s.”

He said that he “told them that my Granddad fought the Nazi’s. They laughed. My message to them is that you will never win. That this team represents unity & diversity. You are the past. You’re dying out.”

He added: “Your hatred only strengthens my Anti-racist belief. I stand with progress and a new progressive patriotism that is about inclusion and respect. We have work to do in this country. Those at the very top need to lead by example.”

The match, which England lost on penalties, has been marred with deplorable racist abuse online against three of the team’s black players.

Earlier this year, the Football Association (FA) adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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Investigation finds Massachusetts high school football team, whose coach was suspended over antisemitic on-field calling, may have been using anti-Jewish racist language for a decade

An independent investigation has found that a high school American football team in Massachusetts whose coach was recently suspended after the team used antisemitic language during a game may in fact have been using anti-Jewish racist language for a decade.

Duxbury High School, 30 miles from Boston, “severed ties” with Head Coach David Maimaron earlier this year following the allegations. Mr Maimaron, also a special-needs teacher, was placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation. The school also hired attorney and educational consultant Edward Mitnick to assist its investigation into reports that team members used the offensive language – including a reference to Auschwitz – in its on-field play-calling. The words “rabbi” and “dreidel” were also heard.

In recent years Duxbury has been one of the most successful teams in Massachusetts, with five state championships since 2005. In a statement, the administration said: “The outrage is real, warranted, and we hear it. The fact that members of our school community used such offensive language…is horrifying and disappointing.”

District Superintendent John Antonucci noted that the offensive words had not been directed at the opposing team or at a particular player.

Mr Maimaron released a statement in which he apologised for “the insensitive, crass and inappropriate language used in the game on 12th March.” The language was “careless, unnecessary…hurtful and…inexcusable,” he said.

Mr Mitnick conducted the investigation at the request of Duxbury Public Schools. After interviewing dozens of witnesses, he released a 56-page report tfinding that there was “sufficient credible evidence to conclude that offensive and inappropriate conduct occurred” in violation of numerous school district policies, and that the problem was systematic and potentially dated as far back as 2010. It is believed that plays called “rabbit” soon evolved in “rabbi”, and other Jewish terms followed.

Elsewhere in the state, officials at Hurley Middle School said that a group of eighth-graders wrote antisemitic, sexual and racist messages in yearbooks at the Seekonk, MA school’s annual yearbook signing event.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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CAA welcomes Chelsea’s support for the Jewish community on social media in wake of surge in antisemitism

Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomes Chelsea Football Club’s tweet in which the club announced its support for the Jewish community by condemning the recent acts of antisemitism in Britain.

These incidents include mezuzahs being vandalised in Borehamwood, a rabbi in Essex being assaulted and hospitalised, and a convoy of cars that drove down the Finchley Road shouting “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters” through a megaphone.

The football club released a tweet last weekend, stating: “Chelsea FC stands with the UK’s Jewish community, and Jewish communities across the world, in the face of rising antisemitism. This hatred and intimidation towards the Jewish community is unacceptable and must stop. #SayNoToAntisemitism #NoToHate”

However, Chelsea received backlash from some Twitter users over the anti-racist tweet.

One wrote: “I think im changing clubs.”

Another tweet read: “F**k Chelsea club,” while a different user remarked: “A s**thole club, disgusting, disgraceful f**k off”

Recently, Chelsea Football Club announced that it had banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Chelsea and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We commend Chelsea for this show of solidarity with Britain’s Jewish community. At a time of surging antisemitism, it is reassuring to have the support of a club that has itself made enormous progress in tackling anti-Jewish hate, including a recent ten-year ban from matches for an online troll who hounded a Jewish journalist who received support from us. We hope that fellow Premiership teams and other sporting clubs and association will follow Chelsea’s lead.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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Chelsea bans antisemitic troll Sam Mole for ten years, following engagement with CAA

Chelsea Football Club has announced that it has banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism. The announcement comes as football clubs around the country are walking out of social media in protest at online hate.

Sam Mole, a twenty-year-old from Kettering, had sent antisemitic and homophobic messages online to freelance Jewish journalist Dan Levene, including one wishing that Mr Levene would die and another lamenting that Mr Levene had not been killed in the Holocaust.

Further abusive messages had also been sent by Mr Mole from another account that Twitter suspended. Mr Mole, a fan of Chelsea Football Club, took issue with Mr Levene’s stance in opposition to antisemitic chanting by some fans of the club.

Earlier this year, a legal case against Mr Mole ended with a judge declaring his regret that “the law prohibits me from punishing you” following a blunder by the investigating police force. Mr Mole had admitted to police that he had sent the abusive tweets in October 2019, but he was found not guilty at Leicester Magistrates Court in February 2021 on the technicality that he was on holiday in Australia at the time, and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the UK’s courts.

Mr Mole was nonetheless issued a three-year restraining order prohibiting him from directly or indirectly contacting Mr Levene and posting messages about him on social media or encouraging others to do so. He was told that if he broke this order, he could go to prison.

The court heard that Mr Mole, a trainee teacher, expressed remorse for his actions. Campaign Against Antisemitism is in contact with the Teaching Regulation Agency.

Campaign Against Antisemitism contacted Chelsea to urge the football club to exclude Mr Mole from attending matches and the club confirmed that it would investigate. Chelsea has now confirmed that it has banned Mr Mole for a period of ten years.

In a statement, Chelsea said: “Following the conclusion of court proceedings in February, the club conducted our own investigation into the matter and has taken the decision to ban the individual from Chelsea FC for a period of ten years. Everybody at Chelsea is proud to be part of a diverse club. Our players, staff, fans and visitors to the club come from a wide range of backgrounds, including the Jewish community, and we want to ensure everyone feels safe, valued and included. We will not tolerate any behaviour from supporters that threatens that aim.”

The statement added: “As a club, we will continue to take action against individuals or groups who produce or disseminate social media posts that contravene these values.”

Chelsea was among nineteen Premiership clubs, along with the Premier League itself, to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Dan Levene said: “I’m delighted with this outcome. It sends a very strong message that abusive and antisemitic behaviour online is unacceptable. And it’s particularly poignant coming today, when football clubs are walking out from social media because of racism online. I hope this case leads to better processes at Chelsea and other clubs so that it doesn’t take so long to come to the right decision in future, but this is a good day for the fight against racism in football.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Chelsea should be applauded for banning an abusive troll for ten years. This announcement sends a powerful message that antisemitism in football and online must not be tolerated. Football clubs walking out of social media over online hate is one thing, but backing it up with strong action like this is the strongest antidote.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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Antisemites bombard social media claiming football’s proposed European Super League is product of Jewish greed

Twitter users have responded to news of a possible launch of a new European Super League (ESL) by blaming Jews for “ruining football.”

The announcement of the ESL has proved controversial and unpopular with swathes of football fans due to the potential harm it is believed may be caused to domestic football leagues. Many fans apparently feel that the concept of the ESL is not in keeping with the game’s integrity.

However, for some Twitter users, what began as reasonable criticism regarding the direction of modern football quickly escalated into vitriolic, antisemitic accusations levelled against some of the league’s creators. who are the owners of the football clubs involved. Some of the owners or chairmen are Jewish. Among the tropes were claims of Jewish greed, a classic antisemitic notion.

One user wrote: “Notably, most of the owners of these ‘big’ football clubs pushing for a Super League are Jews, including Roman Abramovic and the Glazers…..Jews are ruining football, they dont give a f**** about the Gentile fans..”

Another tweeted: “All this talk of the European Super League. It’s jew rats behind it. All money grabbing c***s. It’s no wonder that people hate them as much as the muslims.” This abhorent post was accompanied by a popular antisemitic meme.

Yet another wrote: “Them 3 fat AMERICAN C***S YOU F***ING BASTARDS. And as for that Jew levy your family should have been gassed. Inters owners also ruined the cal champions. Perez is in the f***ing mafia”. Daniel Levy is the Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, one of the founding clubs of the ESL. He was recently targeted by antisemitic abuse online.“

Another still said: “Hey Zionists it’s not all about money you suckers“.

These were only a selection of the antisemitic abuse online, appealing to classic tropes of Jewish greed, parasitism and control, as well as references to the Holocaust. Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms. The Premier League and nineteen of its constituent clubs have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The beautiful game has some very hideous fans, and they are out in force on social media objecting in the most grotesque fashion to the possible launch of a new European Super League. No controversy, however great the passions it may stir, can justify the horrendous antisemitic abuse meted out by some Twitter users towards football clubs and their owners. The Premier League, the clubs and social media networks have a responsibility to remove this material immediately and punish the offenders with bans from attending matches. This minority of perpetrators bring shame to the majority of fans who want to see racism expelled from football.“

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy targeted by antisemitic abuse online

Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman, Daniel Levy, has been on the receiving end of antisemitic abuse by an unnamed Twitter user.

The tweet, since removed, was said to have contained several antisemitic tropes and has been reported to the police. This comes less than 24 hours after Spurs player Heung-min Son also received racist abuse online.

Labour’s Shadow Minister and MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, condemned the vile abuse. He tweeted: “It’s a football match! This is utterly unacceptable. Racism and antisemitism has no place in the game or anywhere else. Please delete the tweet. You are no Spurs man trust me.”

Tottenham replied on the club’s official Twitter account, stating: “We have reported this antisemitic post to Twitter and the police. Disappointing that the tweet has yet to be deleted. Twitter needs to take immediate action against racists continuing to post abuse. Our internal review into a best course of action moving forward is under way.”

The Premier League and nineteen of its constituent clubs, including Tottenham, recently adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.

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Antisemitic graffiti found at home of Pittsburgh’s South Side Bears

Antisemitic graffiti has been discovered in Pittsburgh’s South Side. 

The graffiti was scrawled on the side of a concession stand at Quarry Field, home to the South Side Bears, a Pittsburgh youth American football team.

Kevin Alton, President of the South Side Bears, condemned the vandalism, stating: “The South Side is not for hate.”

An investigation has been launched by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said that the city would cover the costs of the clean-up and would commission a mural artist to restore the original mural. 

Mayor Peduto said: “We’ll put together the funds in order to be able to improve this entire area, and we’ll send a message to anybody who wants to talk in hate that we’ll come back stronger.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Pittsburgh Bureau of Police

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Aston Villa condemns online antisemitic reactions to its “Happy Passover” message

Aston Villa has condemned online antisemitic reactions to its Passover greeting to fans.

The Birmingham-based Premiership football club posted a “Happy Passover” greeting on its Facebook page over the weekend, only to receive almost 28,000 ‘angry’ emoji replies and numerous hateful comments. Some of the abusive messages have been removed.

In a comment on the post, the club said that it “deplores religious intolerance of any form and is an inclusive organisation who welcomes people of all faiths”.

Aston Villa recently adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

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“Here comes Chaca in the street, killing Jews to make soap”: Argentine Jewish group to file complaint over antisemitic chants by football fans before match

A leading Argentine Jewish group is to file a complaint over antisemitic slurs heard chanted by football fans in the streets of the capital prior to a match.

The chants reportedly took place before a Buenos Aires derby between Atlanta, a team historically associated with the Jewish community, and Club Atletico Chacarita Juniors.

The complaint charges that around 1,000 of the Club Atletico Chacarita Juniors fans sang antisemitic chants after being unable to enter the stadium due to pandemic restrictions.

They reportedly chanted: “Here comes Chaca in the street, killing Jews to make soap.”

This is not the first time antisemitism has surfaced in clashes between the two clubs.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Fine for top basketball player Meyers Leonard who used “k*** bitch” slur on live video

A leading professional basketball player has been fined $50,000 (£36,000) by the National Basketball Association (NBA), after using the hate-speech “You k*** bitch” on a video.

In addition to the fine, the sport’s governing body suspended Meyers Leonard from team facilities and activities for one week after the Miami Heat player used the antisemitic slur. Mr Leonard was playing a live-streamed video game when he said: “Don’t f**king snipe at me, you k*** b*tch.”

He apologised the following day.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the comment was “inexcusable and hurtful” and that “such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society.”

Mr Silver also said that Mr Leonard had spoken to Jewish groups and was “genuinely remorseful”, and that the NBA had also “mandated” him to participate in a “cultural diversity programme”.

Miami Heat said that it “vehemently condemns” the use of any form of hate speech and would “not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise.”

The team’s statement also noted that Mr Leonard “will be away from the team indefinitely” and that the team would “co-operate with the NBA while it conducts its investigation.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

We are seeking to recruit a General Counsel a Creative Communications and Events Officer a Communications and Research Manager an Education and Outreach Intern to join our London office

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Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.