Racism in Soccer

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ANTISEMITISM AND RACISM IN EUROPEAN SOCCER Yves Pallade Christoph Villinger Deidre Berger AJC Berlin Office/Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations May 2007 INTRODUCTION The attackers shouted slogans like “dirty Jew” and “dirty Nigger.” After the soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Paris, Janniv H., who is a fan of both clubs, was chased by about 150 Paris Saint-Germain supporters. An undercover police officer who tried to help him was himself attacked and subjected to racial slurs about his black skin color. When the use of teargas proved insufficient to halt the attack, the policeman pulled his gun and fired a shot, accidentally killing a Paris Saint-Germain supporter and wounding another. This incident took place on November 23, 2006. The tragic incident in France following a soccer game illustrates the dangers of allowing racist and antisemitic attitudes to flourish uncountered in the world of sports. Following a February 2007 local game in Sicily between Catania and Palermo, hooligans threw stones and an explosive device at a policeman, who died from his injuries. His death was widely reported and prompted discussion as to whether to suspend all major league soccer games in Italy for one year. A few days later, on February 10, violence erupted in Germany following a game of 1. FC Lok Leipzig. In the aftermath of the game, about 300 hooligans turned on the police, injuring 39 policemen, some of them seriously. On April 1, 2006, prior to a game between Chemnitz and Hamburg’s FC St. Pauli, fans of the visiting team attacked Turkish-owned stores. During the game, red flags with white circles - though without swastikas – were waved in the Chemnitz fan block. About 200 Chemnitz fans chanted “We’re building a subway from St. Pauli to Auschwitz,” “Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, we hate Turkey,” and “Hoo-Na-Ra.” “Hoo-Na-Ra,” is the slogan

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