“Yids” graffitied on pub ahead of Tottenham Hotspur match

Graffiti that read “yids” was discovered on Saturday ahead of a match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. 

The graffiti, which consisted of the words “yids” and “THFC”, was found on the Two Brewers pub in Holloway, a pub that is located near Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Both phrases were written twice on the windows and doors of the pub. “THFC” likely refers to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. 

The graffiti, which was photographed and reported by users on social media, was removed ahead of the scheduled London derby match between the two clubs the following day. 

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

Last month, the Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy, faced antisemitic abuse online, including being called a “fat bald Jew”, over the impending transfer of player Harry Kane. 

In March, an Everton fan was sentenced over antisemitic insults at a football match against Tottenham Hotspur. One of the phrases that the defendant used was “dirty Jews, dirty Yids”.

In 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced that it was to reassess the use of the word “Yid” after holding focus groups on the matter. After conducting the first stage of its consultation with supporters in 2019, the Club found that 94% of the 23,000 respondents acknowledged that the word could be considered a racist term against a Jewish person.

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

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

Image credit: Jewish News