Jeremy Corbyn attending an Arsenal match. Image by Twitter

By Ari Feldman February 9, 2018

Accusations of anti-Semitism in the British Premier League flared up again this week after fans of Liverpool FC were heard on video calling the Tottenham Hotspurs “yid c**ts.” But now Jeremy Corbyn is saying that the blame also lies with Tottenham’s supporters, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Tottenham’s stadium is in North London, a heavily Jewish part of the city. Its supporters have reappropriated some of the slurs that are often directed at its fans and players during the game, including “yid.” Many Tottenham supporters now refer to themselves as the “Yid Army.”

On Thursday, Corbyn urged Tottenham fans to abandon the chant. He made his comments at a “Show Racism the Red Card” event organized to combat anti-Semitism and racism in UK soccer matches.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“The idea of adopting a term to neutralise it doesn’t really work because it is identifying a club by an ethnic group or faith, whereas you should be identifying club through supporters,” Corbyn said.

In 2013, British police told Tottenham fans they could face arrest for using the word “yid,” but reversed the decision six months later under pressure from the club.

“Yid chants are unacceptable,” Corbyn said. “It plays into something that’s not very good and we should be saying: ‘We’re the Spurs’ or ‘We’re the Arsenal.’”

Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount