#2 Anti-Semitic chants against Tottenham Hotspur
Traditionally, the fanbase of Tottenham Hotspur has had a large Jewish contingent, namely due to the club’s popularity in its early days with the Jewish immigrants who settled in North London. Despite the club being far more global these days – and most likely, sporting more non-Jewish fans than genuinely Jewish ones – it seems that the rival clubs of London – namely West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal – can’t focus on anything else, regularly using anti-Semitic songs to taunt the Spurs faithful.
Sure, it’s one thing for them to sing “where’s your foreskin gone?” in reference to the Jewish custom of circumcision. It’s almost funny in fact, as far as quasi-racism goes. Singing about the Holocaust, Hitler and the gas chambers though – as West Ham fans did in 2012 - is a step way too far in the wrong direction. The fans were heard to be singing “Hitler’s coming for you!” and also imitated the hissing of gas chambers. It’s pretty despicable.
Some would argue that Tottenham fans bring it on themselves by using the term ‘Yid Army’ to describe themselves, as the word “yid” is a racial slur to describe a Jewish person, but surely Holocaust references are too disrespectful, even for the most hardened hooligans?
