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Ars*nal fans sue over yid chant

Is use of the word Yid in reference to Spurs racist

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 9.6%
  • No

    Votes: 89 71.2%
  • In this case who cares, its Ars*nal

    Votes: 24 19.2%

  • Total voters
    125
  • Poll closed .

MattyP

Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
May 14, 2007
14,041
2,980
Arsenal fans to sue club over anti-Semitic chanting
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor

Published: 10 November 2007



Three Arsenal season ticket holders have instructed human rights lawyers to bring a legal challenge against their own club over what they allege is racist chanting in the new Emirates Stadium.
In a letter sent to the Arsenal chairman, the fans – a Jew, a Muslim and a Christian – claim that the use of the anti-Semitic words "Yids" or "Yiddos" in reference to players and fans from Tottenham Hotspur amounts to a breach of Race Relations Act.
Their solicitor, Lawrence Davies, a leading human rights lawyer at the London law firm Equal Justice, has asked the club to take immediate action to stamp out all racist chanting at the club.
Mr Davies's letter, sent this week to Peter Hill-Wood, makes it clear that the season-ticket holders can sue the club for breach of contract as Arsenal has a written policy of taking firm action against racist behaviour in the stadium.
Arsenal fans argue that the use of the words "Yids" and "Yiddos" in reference to their north London rivals is not racist but simply directed at the club's Jewish history and point out that Tottenham fans even refer to themselves as the "Yid Army". But Mr Davies says this does not stop the language from being offensive and anti-Semitic.
Mr Davies says in his letter: "The test in law is whether the language concerned causes offence to the person concerned. Our five clients are all Arsenal supporters and three are season-ticket holders. The season-ticket holders include a Jewish member and a Muslim member. They have all felt offended."
He claims that by taking no action, the club would appear to be in breach of the Race Relations Act 1976 in the provision of a service or permitting harassment to occur without challenge.
His letter adds: "The season-ticket holders have a contractual relationship with the club. The contract states that fans exhibiting racist behaviour will have their contracts terminated and will be ejected form a particular match. None of the 'Yid' chanters have been challenged."
Mr Davies and his clients readily acknowledge that work has been done to combat racism in recent years.
But he adds: "It is simply not sufficient to state in the match-day programme that the club is against racism ... There needs to be an approach to tackle racism which educates fans on anti-racist behaviour." The fans have also asked their lawyer to write to Herman Ousely, the chairman of Let's Kick Racism Out Of Football, and Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The legal challenge comes after Arsenal signed a £350,000 sponsorship deal with the Israeli tourism ministry in which images of players are used to promote the country as an ideal tourism destination.
It gives Arsenal strong ties with both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Arsenal's new stadium carries the name of the Emirates airline, owned by the United Arab Emirates government, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
An Arsenal spokesman said: "Arsenal Football Club will not tolerate foul language and racist chanting at Emirates Stadium. Whether Arsenal supporters or visiting fans are responsible, we will take action – through the courts if necessary – to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour. Where evidence exists (including video evidence), prosecutions will follow."

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3146389.ece

In my opinion, pathetic. Discuss.
 

worcestersauce

"I'm no optimist I'm just a prisoner of hope
Jan 23, 2006
26,895
45,044
They started it, they called us yids before we did.
Didn't notice any problems in Israel this week were there any official complaints.

Just amazing how far arsenal fans will go to attack the Spurs however, if it goes to court and goes our way it will give us a legal right to use the term.

Just a thought, is it anti semitic if our Jewish supporters chant it?
 

phil

Well-Known Member
Oct 25, 2004
2,038
1,239
I've just got back from the match in Tel Aviv. A number of the travelling Spurs fans were concerned that the term 'Yid Army' would be offensive to the Israelis. We shouldn't have been concerned.

In the sparsely populated visitors' area of the ground were a number of local (Israeli) Spurs supporters. One these groups had a big Yid Army flag. One of the Israelis I spoke to explained that he had had ten of these banners made up but had sold nine to Israeli friends.

'Don't Israelis find the term Yid offensive?' I asked. 'No' he replied. 'Apart from orthodox Hasidic Jews, nodody in Israel would take offence at the term'. He added that if you shouted the word in a Tel Aviv street, nodody would take any notice. He was amused that the term was viewed as offensive in Britain and America.

YID ARMY
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,290
66,758
I think this is a very carefully veiled dig. Take a serious line, say you're acting in the best interests of the club over a race issue and you're bound to get feathers ruffled.

I can see these city bods now, laughing over the tops of their Bacardi Breezers at this cracking idea to stir up the recent discussions over the use of the word "Yid".

Load of crap, it'll boil away after The Woolwich do some slick PR about being "Dedicated to stopping racism in all forms at the Emirates" and that'll be the last we hear of it.
 

MattyP

Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
May 14, 2007
14,041
2,980
When Bolton come to the Lane this season, if any of their fans sing "Come on you white men", I'm gonna sue the fuck out of everyone for racism.

Equally as ridiculous as those gooner numpties.
 

wearetheparklane

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2005
2,236
993
I've just got back from the match in Tel Aviv. A number of the travelling Spurs fans were concerned that the term 'Yid Army' would be offensive to the Israelis. We shouldn't have been concerned.

In the sparsely populated visitors' area of the ground were a number of local (Israeli) Spurs supporters. One these groups had a big Yid Army flag. One of the Israelis I spoke to explained that he had had ten of these banners made up but had sold nine to Israeli friends.

'Don't Israelis find the term Yid offensive?' I asked. 'No' he replied. 'Apart from orthodox Hasidic Jews, nodody in Israel would take offence at the term'. He added that if you shouted the word in a Tel Aviv street, nodody would take any notice. He was amused that the term was viewed as offensive in Britain and America.

YID ARMY


:rofl:
 

MarkinJapan

New Member
Feb 4, 2005
369
0
As long as they're suing Arsenal I'm all for it! Would love to be on the jury that ordered Arsenal to pay 500 million in punitive damages!

Let's back them all the way!
 

worcestersauce

"I'm no optimist I'm just a prisoner of hope
Jan 23, 2006
26,895
45,044
I read this completely wrong, I read it as them suing Tottenham hence my earlier post.

I guess they are shouting it as an insult but wtf get a life.

PS why does my computer suddenly submit when i'm half way through a post?.:bang:
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,290
66,758
I read this completely wrong, I read it as them suing Tottenham hence my earlier post.

I guess they are shouting it as an insult but wtf get a life.

PS why does my computer suddenly submit when i'm half way through a post?.:bang:
mine sometimes goes back a page half way through typing a response, no idea why

how strange - as i type this response to you, Film 2007 is talking about Mr Redford himself, and his new film, Lions for Lambs...
 

LSUY

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2005
24,010
66,826
How many of you have actually read the article and read up on this story? Obviously not many.

These Arsenal fans aren't complaining about the term yid but the songs some Arsenal fans use during games. They are claiming that the songs like, 'Spurs are on there way to auschwitz, the yids are going to get gassed again' are racist and should be stamped out.

We should be supporting these people. Some of the songs directed at our supporters is sick and the clubs do sod all to stop it.
 

carrickature

Frank Welker
Dec 17, 2004
2,912
14
i think they are threatening to sue Arsenal if they don't try and stop it. to be honest we have to hope its not upheld, as it could have reprecussions on spurs as well. imagine not being able to chant Yid Army or other things.

I note that arsenal supporters often call us 'fucking yids', does that mean they make the term offensive? and when we call ourslves yids its fine. it smacks of the whole 'we're here,we're queer' chanted by gay guys.
 

karennina

ciffirt
Nov 24, 2004
2,820
1,032
Surely when a word is used to convey a dissimilar meaning from its original one, people have to recognise that? It is how language develops. It is possible to vocalise any collection of sounds whatsoever without being motivated by hatred, or anything close to it.

That's to defend the use of 'Yids' - the Auschwitz songs... dodgy.

But you can be arrested and convicted for saying 'fuck' in public (section 5) so is the aggro really coming from arsenal fans or our unelected government?
 

tt265

Member
Feb 10, 2007
103
8
Arse fans trying to get rid of the 'Yids' chants

I've never posted before but it has come to my attention that arse fans are suing their club over the use of the term 'yids' and 'yiddo'. I can't prove this but I actually suspect the arse fans are starting this action with the ultimate goal of getting the term 'yid' banned in all stadiums and by all fans, including us.

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article3146389.ece

http://football365.com/story/0,17033,8705_2874088,00.html

If I'm right then the arse fans have sunk to new lows of sneakiness and being underhand. Firstly, they are making a claim that if successful will mean that use of the term 'yid' will become a breach of the Race Relations Act. This is because an arse fan could find it offensive when we use it.

If they succeed the goons will have managed to kill off a term that we have for the most part reclaimed. True, most other fans use it as a derogatory term against us but we use it loads and have made it a call to arms. It is now a mark of pride and i for one dont think the arse fans should be able to take it away from us.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter, particularly whether anything can be done? I think we should write to THFC and state how we have reclaimed the term.

I dont really think the thread should be used to discuss whether we should be using the term 'yid' or not. I'm not jewish (or have any jewish heritage) and for me 'yid' means Spurs fan when im in the stadium.
 
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