Racist Chanting Spurs Suit Against Arsenal
By: Trent | November 12th, 2007
A group of Arsenal supporters are considering suing the club for letting what they allege to be racist chants persist at the Emirates Stadium. Specifically, the group objects to the use of “yids” and “yiddos” in reference to Tottenham Hotspur. The suit would be brought under the Race Relations Act of 1976.
“Yids” is considered by many to be a derogatory, anti-Semitic used to slur Jews.
Complicating matters, many Spurs fans have adopted the “yids” moniker and even refer to themselves as the “Yid Army” in respect to the club’s Jewish past.
This would explain why some Arsenal supporters use the term, but it would obviously not resolve the issue of whether some others may be offended by the remarks.
To that end, the questions are as follows:
1. Should the use of “yids” be considered a racist chant?
2. If yes, should Arsenal be held legally liable for the chants of a handful of its supporters?
Personally, there just isn’t any way I could participate in a chant that was even borderline racist such as the anti-Spurs stuff here. That’s just a personal choice. And I think we can all agree that it’s long past time for racist chants to be out of football.
But I still get queasy at the thought of holding a club liable for what some supporters say. What say you?
In the meantime, then, tonight football resumes as Arsenal battle Reading. Hoping for a nice three points to get back even with Man United at the top of the table.
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Category: Arsenal News
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Comments
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to question one: yes
to question two: yes, fine the shit out of them.if it costs the club in anyway they’ll find a way to stamp it out, guaranteed.
Posted from
United States
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Hell No!
What sort of fans are these twats?
Do they have no love for the club. I hope next time they go to Emirates and swipe their cards to get in it simply say’s ‘Fuck Off you piece of shite’Posted from
United States -
Obviously Yids is a racial slur, but in the context I don’t think it should be viewed as one.
Posted from
United States -
It is definately racist and i’ll tell you first hand it isn’t just a handful of our fans. A lot of people chant it and at the arsenal tottentham derby’s nearly everyone chants it. its disgusting to hear and i will never join in with anything racist whether it’s calling someone a dutch bastard or calling someone a monkey. Its racism. and the media ignores it. the media is corrupt
Posted from
United States -
‘Obviously Yids is a racial slur, but in the context I don’t think it should be viewed as one’ - what context? there is no footballing context that isn’t linked to the racial one. Yid is not a footballing term, do you hear Lineker and Hansen use the word on MOTD? Of course not. It’s a racial word that has crept into football and Arsenal must act to stamp it out or face the legal consequences.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
But tottenham call themselves ‘yid army’
So they obviously don’t see it as a racial slur.
Posted from
United States -
nonetheless its a racial slur, and if people are offended by it (which they should be), thats enough reason to have it stamped out.
Posted from
United States -
‘But tottenham call themselves ‘yid army’
So they obviously don’t see it as a racial slur’.And the vast majority of Spurs fans are not even Jewish so it does not matter whether they think it is racist or not. Would you judge whether the word ‘nigger’ is offensive to black people by asking as many minstrels as you can find whether it is or not?
Posted from
United Kingdom
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