Chelsea FC vows action against “He’s one of your own” t-shirts depicting non-Jewish Tottenham player as a Hasid
9th February 2016
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Chelsea Football Club and Hammersmith & Fulham Council have vowed to take action against unofficial vendors selling an antisemitic t-shirt. The t-shirts depict non-Jewish footballer Harry Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, dressed in Hasidic garb, with the slogan “He’s one of your own”. The reference is apparently to Tottenham Hotspur’s large number of Jewish fans.
The t-shirts were first discovered being sold outside Stamford Bridge on Sunday before and after Chelsea’s home game against Manchester United. Unfortunately, Tottenham Hotspur fans are regularly subjected to antisemitic slurs at football matches, including chanting by opposing teams. However Tottenham Hotspur’s own fans often do not help this by calling themselves the “Yid army”. Yid is an extremely derogatory term for a Jew.
A Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate the sale of offensive and antisemitic merchandise on the streets of our borough. Trading Standards officers will continue their work, with the support of the club and their fans, to stop the sale of these deeply unpleasant t-shirts.”
Chelsea Football Club will also reportedly send representatives to check stalls surrounding Stamford Bridge before and after matches.
We commend Chelsea Football Club and Hammersmith & Fulham Council for their firm response to these antisemitic t-shirts. Football rivalry is not an excuse for racism.