British Soccer Fan Arrested for ‘Yid’ Chant
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
A fan of the British Tottenham soccer club was arrested for chanting “yid” during a home match.
On Sunday, defying a police threat of arrest for using the term, supporters of Hotspur reportedly chanted “Yid Army” as well as “We’ll sing what we want” during a Premier League match against their London rivals, West Ham United.
One Spurs fan was arrested at halftime. West Ham went on to deliver a crushing 3-0 blow to Tottenham, denting their ambitions in the wide-open league race currently led by north London rivals Arsenal.
Police had talked to fans about using the term as they entered the White Hart Lane stadium, according to reports.
Tottenham has many Jewish supporters, who sometimes call themselves the “Yid army.” However, the term often is used derogatorily by fans of Hotspurs opponents.
The English Football Association previously had said in a statement that fans could face criminal charges for using yid, calling the term “inappropriate in a football setting.”
The statement also said that “use of the term in a public setting could amount to a criminal offense, and leave those fans liable to prosecution and potentially a lengthy football banning order.”
In the three weeks since the governing body of English soccer threatened to arrest fans, Spurs supporters had continued to use the term during matches.
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