Chelsea soccer fans chant antisemitic songs a week after team started anti-hate campaign
Meanwhile, after another Premier League game on Sunday, footage of Liverpool fans saying antisemitic slurs at Tottenham Hotspur players surfaced.
By JTAUpdated: FEBRUARY 7, 2018 08:00A banner reading "Say No To Antisemitism" is unfurled at midfield before Chelsea F.C.'s match on January 31, 2018, kicking off the club's campaign to fight antisemitism.(photo credit: CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB)
Supporters of the Chelsea soccer team were caught singing antisemitic songs during a game held five days after the British club launched a campaign to stamp out antisemitism among its fans.After the match against fellow Premier League squad Watford on Monday night, an unnamed Chelsea fan told England’s Jewish News that he was hit with a “torrent” of antisemitic abuse and moved out of his seat for his safety.Jonathan Metliss, who heads the group Action Against Discrimination, which is aimed at combating racism among European soccer fans, also was at the game and told the Jewish News that he took photos of the alleged perpetrators for investigators. Metliss said he was “disgusted” by the fans’ behavior.Chelsea announced last month that it would partner with the Anne Frank House, London’s Jewish Museum and other organizations to provide workshops on the Jewish culture in primary schools. It will also launch an education program for fans who have been banned from games for perpetuating antisemitism.Meanwhile, after another Premier League game on Sunday, footage of Liverpool fans saying antisemitic slurs at Tottenham Hotspur players surfaced. Police are investigating the incident, London’s Jewish Chronicle reported.Tottenham has long been considered a “Jewish” team because it once had strong support from Jewish immigrants in North London.
