Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football

new

« Prev
1
Next »

Macmoish
Administrator

Posts: 60,298

Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football Apr 14, 2011 7:01:04 GMT

Quote

Post by Macmoish on Apr 14, 2011 7:01:04 GMT

A topic I've discussed before here, and elsewhere!

Independent

Baddiel film aims to kick the Y-word out of football

The comedian tells The Independent about his attempt to tackle racism on the terraces

By Ian Herbert
Thursday, 14 April 2011

David Baddiel, comedian: 'Clubs are keen on one level to take on racism but also keen that their club should not be seen as racist'

To many fans of Tottenham, the term "Yiddo" is a badge of honour, coined decades ago to mark out the football club's Jewish identity in the face of abuse and prejudice.

To the comedian and broadcaster David Baddiel, it is also a term with a deeply malign undertone, which offers an excuse to the supporters of other teams to launch into anti-Semitism.

Today, Baddiel and his brother Ivor will premiere a film, Y-Word, featuring Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Tottenham's Ledley King, which they hope will persuade the football world that it is not a term to be welcomed.

Since "Yid" and "Yiddo" chants are never heard in the final Match of the Day highlights edit, the Baddiels had to capture video phone footage and gather internet material. The film includes YouTube footage of fans singing: "Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz, Sieg Heil, Hitler's going to gas them again."

Baddiel was watching Chelsea play Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge two seasons ago when the news that Tottenham were losing at home to Hull City flashed on the big screen.

He and his brother, who is a writer, have become uncomfortably familiar during four decades of following Chelsea of "Yiddo" – a word with a complex, 700-year-old etymology which translates as "Jew" and has a self-deprecatory use for some. But what they heard that day took anti-Semitism to another level.

"People started up a triumphalist 'Yiddo' chant," Baddiel told The Independent yesterday. "Then a bloke behind us started singing 'F*** the Yids.' Then he moved on to 'F*** the Jews'. My brother, who is slightly harder than me, or maybe just a bit bigger, told him to shut up. The fan told my brother to F*** off. There was no violence, but the threat of it was very present. My brother sat down again. He said 'I think I'm going to cry'."

Chelsea offered to investigate but instead the film idea took root, developed with the Kick it Out organisation fighting against prejudice in football.

"Clubs are keen on one level to take on racism but also keen that their club should not be seen as racist," Baddiel said. Though the film's message is not directed at any one club, Tottenham have had some concern about the reaction of their own fans to a message not to chant the word. Chelsea also initially felt that they were being targeted.

"It is a difficult one, because this word is an historic call to arms, to deflect abuse," said Tottenham executive director Donna Cullen. "We would say the word is better not used."

Frank Lampard, the footballer, said: "For some reason some fans still shout the Y-word. Some might think it's just a bit of a laugh. But racist chanting is against the law. It's against the law to call someone the Y-word on the street."

The Y-Word can be seen at www.kickitout.org from noon today

www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/baddiel-film-aims-to-kick-the-yword-out-of-football-2267463.html

Last Edit: Apr 15, 2011 6:27:04 GMT by Macmoish

"These are the times that try men's souls"

Macmoish
Administrator

Posts: 60,298

Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football Apr 14, 2011 19:01:51 GMT

Quote

Post by Macmoish on Apr 14, 2011 19:01:51 GMT

TELEGRAPH

Anti-Semitic abuse 'rife among football fans'
Anti-Semitic abuse is rife among football fans and must be treated as seriously as other forms of racism, a group of top footballers and celebrities has warned.

By Murray Wardrop 1:47PM BST 14 Apr 2011

David Baddiel, the comedian, has launched a campaign to stamp out use of the word “yid” in football chants which mock Jewish and Tottenham supporters.

High-profile backers have also condemned fans for hissing at Jewish spectators, to imitate the sound of gas chambers used in the Holocaust.

But many Tottenham supporters have said they use the term "yid army" themselves as a "badge of honour" and are not offended by it.

The words “yid” or “yiddo”, meaning Jew, have been used for decades to identify Tottenham supporters, because of the proportion of Jewish supporters at the club.

The campaign, supported by England midfielder Frank Lampard and Tottenham defender Ledley King, warns that while racism has become unacceptable in the stands, anti-Semitism remains dangerously commonplace.

Related Content

*
'Alarming' levels of anti-Semitism in football must be tackled
*
Ed West: Can English football be rid of the 'Y-word'?

Baddiel, whose Jewish mother was forced to flee Nazi Germany during the Second World War, has made a film exploring the problem, entitled The Y-Word, which he hopes will spark a shift in attitudes among fans.

Baddiel, 46, a Chelsea supporter, said: “Anti-Semitism is the other racism in football, and, because it so lags behind in visibility to racial abuse of black players, it is hardly ever discussed.

"It's an important issue, not least because, in my experience, there are more Jewish fans at most grounds than black ones - it is virtually impossible to be Jewish and male and not interested in football - and I know that they all dread the starting up of these chants."

He added: “The film is not intended to censor football fans. It's simply to raise awareness that the Y-word is, and has been for many, many years, a race hate word.

“It's our belief that some football fans may not even realise this, and the film is designed therefore to inform and raise debate.”

However, campaigners claim the phrase is often taken too far, with chants against Spurs turning viciously anti-Semitic.

The film, which also features former England striker Gary Lineker, includes YouTube footage of fans singing: "Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz, Sieg Heil, Hitler's going to gas them again."

Donna Cullen, executive director of Tottenham Hotspur, said: “It is unthinkable and wholly unacceptable that, in this day and age, supporters are subjected to anti-Semitic abuse such as hissing to imitate the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in the Second World War.”

Lampard, 32, added: “For some reason some fans still shout the Y-word. Some might think it's just a bit of a laugh. But racist chanting is against the law. It's against the law to call someone the Y-word on the street."

Spurs fans were last week accused of racially abusing Real Madrid player Emmanuel Adebayor during a match.

The club accepted the song, which contained the words “your dad washes elephants, your mother’s a whore” was offensive but the Crown Prosecution Service concluded it was not racist.

UEFA sent a high-ranking official to monitor Tottenham fans during Wednesday night’s clash with Real Madrid at White Hart Lane, following the Adebayor’s complaint.

The campaign, organised through the anti-racism group Kick It Out, has also won the backing of the Football Association and numerous premier league clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8450760/Anti-Semitic-abuse-rife-among-football-fans.html

"These are the times that try men's souls"

Macmoish
Administrator

Posts: 60,298

Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football Apr 14, 2011 19:07:52 GMT

Quote

Post by Macmoish on Apr 14, 2011 19:07:52 GMT

Telegraph

Alarming' levels of anti-Semitism in football must be tackled
Action is needed to tackle "alarming" levels of anti-Semitism among football fans, celebrities and top footballers have warned.

David Baddiel, the comedian, says action is needed to tackle "alarming" levels of anti-Semitism among football fans. Photo: ANDREW CROWLEY
By Ivor Baddiel 5:16PM BST 14 Apr 2011
5 Comments

Football in Britain has come a long way since the bad old days of the seventies and early eighties when it was rife with racism to such an extent that fans would bombard black players with the most horrendous abuse, even those on their own team.

Thankfully that kind of racist behaviour has largely disappeared from the game, but there are other forms of racism that still exist, one of which is the chanting of "Yiddo’" at and by Tottenham fans.

This type of anti-Semitic behaviour still occurs with alarming regularity at football grounds up and down the country and, more often than not, is left undealt with, despite the many announcements and signs proclaiming that racist behaviour will not be tolerated.

This is largely due to a lack of understanding as to the nature of the insult and the way it has become linked to Tottenham Hotspur.

Indeed, many Jewish Tottenham fans do not consider it an insult and are even proud to proclaim themselves part of the "Yid Army", as Tottenham fans indeed do. This sets a very dangerous precedent.
Related Articles

*

Anti-Semitic abuse 'rife among football fans'
14 Apr 2011

For one thing, the vast majority of Tottenham fans calling themselves "Yids" are not actually Jewish, and despite the fact that in their eyes they are turning an insult on its head by owning it, in fact they are making an extremely racist term appear acceptable.

One wonders what would happen if a group of non-black football fans decided to call themselves "N----- Army". Furthermore, the fact that Spurs are called "Yids" leads to other anti-semitic chants and behaviour, such as hissing, and allows for use of the word to spread beyond football grounds and football fans. This is not a chicken and egg debate though, no blame or cause is being attached to any one club. It is football's problem and the whole of football needs to address it.

As a way of combating the "Yid" chant, raising awareness of the issue and starting a dialogue about it, Kick It Out has made a short film addressing the issue.

It's a big and difficult issue though; things aren't going to change overnight, however back in the seventies and eighties, when whole terraces of people were hurling racist abuse at players, that also seemed too daunting and overwhelming to combat, yet thanks to organisations such as Kick It Out and others, huge progress has been made.

You can't just sweep these things under the carpet, you have to start somewhere and the hope is very much that the film, which you can watch at www.kickitout.org, is that starting point.

Ivor Baddiel and his brother David, the comedian, have launched a campaign with the anti-racism group Kick It Out to purge football of anti-Semitism.

www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8451506/Alarming-levels-of-anti-Semitism-in-football-must-be-tackled.html

BBC

Georgia woman admits sending pig’s foot to Rep. Peter King
Close Send to a friendGeorgia woman admits sending pig’s foot to Rep. Peter KingPlease enter your e-mailInvalid e-mailYour E-mail Please enter a valid e-mailInvalid e-mailFriends E-mail(s) Separate emails with a comma. Maximum of 5 emails allowed. Message Submit Cancel 8 CommentsRSSEmailPrint
The package sent to King was intercepted at a Maryland mail facility earlier this month. | Reuters
CloseBy JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 4/14/11 1:10 PM EDT
A Muslim woman has admitted to mailing a bloody pig’s foot and a threatening letter to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), as well as another bizarre package to a New York state senator.

The woman, Jameela Barnette, of Marietta, Ga., says she sent the package to King earlier this month to voice her dismay with the hearing he held last month on what he calls the “radicalization” of American Muslims.

Continue Reading Text Size
-+reset Listen Latest on POLITICO
Manchin: 'No clue' on health vote
Iowa OKs redistricting plan
House passes landmark budget bill
DSCC showing its cards in primaries
Ryan: Obama helped me
Ga. woman admits sending pig's foot
POLITICO 44
“I thought the letters explain themselves,” she told the New York Post, speaking not only of the anti-Semitic note to King, but the one she says she sent to state Sen. Greg Ball, a Republican who has held his own hearings on Muslims and hosted King at the most recent hearing last week.

Just after the package to King was intercepted at a Maryland mail facility earlier this month, a congressional source told POLITICO the accompanying letter was “a rambling type” of message that referred to the congressman as a “Jew,” though he is Catholic.

King told POLITICO on Thursday that Barnette “obviously has problems” and “appears to be a disturbed person who seems to be getting carried away with herself.”

He wouldn’t speculate about what might come next, saying only: “I’ll let the police know how serious this is.” Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They said earlier this month that the investigation was ongoing.

The package sent to Ball included a Curious George stuffed animal with two Stars of David taped to it and a note that said, “FINAL DESTINATION: AUSCHWITZ.” Barnette told The Journal News that she sent the monkey because “I knew the Jews were behind the hearings. A monkey is a representation of who the Jews are.” The “Curious George” series of children’s books were written by Holocaust survivors.

Read more: Top players back David Baddiel's anti-semitism campaign
Page last updated at 15:27 GMT, Thursday, 14 April 2011 16:27 UK
E-mail this to a friendPrintable version The 'Kick it Out' campaign is supporting the intiative Frank Lampard, Ledley King and Kieran Gibbs are spearheading a campaign to rid English football of anti-Semitism.

The Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal players star in a film written and produced by David and Ivor Baddiel tackling anti-Jewish abuse and chants.

The 'Kick it Out' campaign is behind the initiative, which among other things wants to end chants of 'Yiddo' by Tottenham supporters.

In the film, Lampard says: "Racist chanting is against the law."

He adds: "For some reason some fans still shout the Y-word. Some might think it's just a bit of a laugh, but... it's against the law to call someone the Y-word on the street."

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who used to play for Tottenham, also appears in the one-minute film, which has the backing of the Football Association and the Players' Football Association.

Continue reading the main story
We are committed to eliminating all forms of racism and we shall support efforts to kick anti-Semitism out of the game.
Donna Cullen

Tottenham executive director
David Baddiel, the television comedian and novelist whose mother Sarah was a refugee from Nazi Germany, said: "The film is not intended to censor football fans.

"It's simply to raise awareness that the Y-word is - and has been for many, many years - a race hate word.

"It's our belief that some football fans may not even realise this, and the film is designed therefore to inform and raise debate."

Tottenham executive director Donna Cullen added: "It is unthinkable and wholly unacceptable that, in this day and age, supporters are subjected to anti-Semitic abuse such as hissing to imitate the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in the Second World War.

"We are committed to eliminating all forms of racism and we shall support efforts to kick anti-Semitism out of the game."
newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13086148.stm

Last Edit: Apr 14, 2011 19:37:40 GMT by Macmoish

"These are the times that try men's souls"

Macmoish
Administrator

Posts: 60,298

Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football Apr 15, 2011 6:26:17 GMT

Quote

Post by Macmoish on Apr 15, 2011 6:26:17 GMT

Guardian/Owen Gibson

Premier League tackles antisemitism with campaign to stamp out Y-word

• Ninety-second film to be shown before Chelsea v Tottenham
• Makers call for zero tolerance to Spurs fans using the term
Premier League football clubs have promised to tackle the problem of antisemitism in their grounds "head-on", following the launch of a hard-hitting film that will be shown before matches.

Chelsea are planning to show the film, which features the likes of Frank Lampard and Ledley King, before this month's home match against Tottenham Hotspur, despite fears that it could spark outbreaks of the kind of chanting it seeks to stamp out. But Kick It Out, the organisation that has waged a long and largely successful battle against racism in football and the clubs involved, has resolved to open up the debate around the use of the term "yid".

More controversially, the film's makers have called for a "zero-tolerance approach" to Spurs fans using the term to define themselves. Chelsea, West Ham United and Arsenal fans have been singled out as particularly to blame for antisemitic chanting, while Spurs fans have in recent years responded by chanting "Yid Army" about themselves.

The new film, The Y-Word, features players making it clear that the word is as offensive and racist as "the n-word" and "the p-word". In the film, Lampard says: "If at today's game you fancy joining in with what you think is a bit of harmless chanting, think again.

The 90-second film features unidentified fans singing "Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz" and chanting "Sieg Heil" on their way to a match. "The film is not intended to censor football fans," said David Baddiel, the comedian and writer who made the film with his brother. "It's simply to raise awareness that the y-word is – and has been for many, many years – a race-hate word. It's our belief that some football fans may not even realise this, and the film is designed therefore to inform and raise debate."

Baddiel said he had been partly inspired to make the film by an argument with a fellow Chelsea fan. "This particular incident was the worst that was directed around us. It was sheer, straightforward, violent antisemitism. No stewards did anything, no one around us did anything."

But he added that many fans were not even aware it was a racist term: "Some people are slightly flabbergasted when you tell them that yid is a racist word and that it makes me feel uncomfortable as a Jew."

Chelsea are believed to have agreed to show the film on the big screens at Stamford Bridge before the match against Tottenham on 30 April, subject to technical checks and discussions with the matchday operations team.

The Chelsea chairman, Bruce Buck, said the club had been "campaigning about issues around antisemitism for many years".

Lord Ouseley, the chair of Kick It Out, said it was important to be clear about what was acceptable and what wasn't.

"Hate crime is on the increase throughout England, all the evidence shows it. We're very conscious that we need to establish a bottom line about what is and isn't acceptable," he said.

"It's a vicious situation we're in and this is one aspect of it. It isn't about targeting Jewish fans who are proud of who they are and want to assert themselves. But as part of that education process they need to understand how they are contributing to those who are already negative."

The Spurs executive director Donna Cullen said the initial focus should be on the opposition supporters using antisemitic language rather than the club's own fans who have sought to reclaim it.

"It is unthinkable and wholly unacceptable that, in this day and age, supporters are subjected to antisemitic abuse such as hissing to imitate the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in the Second World War," she said.

"We look forward to an informed and proper debate with Kick It Out, stakeholders and the key authorities to raise greater awareness and put in place the stringent measures needed to stop antisemitic abuse in football."

www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/14/kick-it-out-spurs-y-word

"These are the times that try men's souls"

Macmoish
Administrator

Posts: 60,298

Anti-Semitism- Kicking "Yid" Word Out of Football Apr 16, 2011 7:21:03 GMT

Quote

Post by Macmoish on Apr 16, 2011 7:21:03 GMT

Guardian/Anna Kessel - Why the Y-word debate is such a tough one to tackle

The Baddiel brothers have made a film to combat antisemitism in football but it is a tricky issue to address

The first time I ever heard the word "yid" I was at school. A girl in my class, who happened to be a Tottenham fan, called a Jewish girl, who had no football allegiance, a "yid".

I didn't know what that meant then but I knew it must be a bad word because of the way she sneered when she said it. The incident was reported and the school took action.

I didn't think of the football connection at the time but afterwards, remembering the way the girl used to stand on the classroom tables at break-time defiantly waving her Tottenham scarf to a room full of Arsenal supporters, I did wonder if it was through football that she first learned the term.

Certainly she would have heard it on the terraces, sung proudly by Tottenham supporters all around her, a positive reclamation of the word. So how did it happen that she came to use it as an insult against a Jewish girl in her class?

Therein lies the muddle of this great "yiddo" debate, given fresh impetus following the release of David and Ivor Baddiel's campaign film. While you would be a moron to excuse any kind of overt antisemitism such as the horrific gas chamber noises recorded at Stamford Bridge, when it comes to the Y-word things get a little bit more complicated.

Many Tottenham fans – Jewish included – identify the word as a badge of honour, Spurs fans united in defiance against all those who hate the club and all those who hate Jews. They might say that, just as the gay community and sections of the black community have reclaimed derogatory words used against them, so too have Tottenham fans turned an insult into a unifying cry.

There are other arguments too – surely "Yid" is just short for Yiddish, so where's the offence? (Try "Paki" is just short for Pakistani and that argument dries up pretty quickly.) And the age-old lament that football is a game, a place to enjoy yourself, so why should we be told what we can and can't shout?

But as long as Tottenham fans can chant "yid", the question will always arise: why can't Chelsea or Arsenal or any other fans do the same? On the football message boards this very debate has raged for years. I recently read one Chelsea fan's tale of watching his fellow supporters get arrested for chanting "yid" – and receive three year bans from attending matches – while over in the away end Tottenham fans chanted the same word without consequence.

Many will argue that it is the intent of a word that informs its meaning but try telling a policeman or club steward that they will need to apply semantics on a matchday to decide whether anyone needs ejecting from the ground.

Amid it all are the clubs themselves. Tottenham and Chelsea in particular have cooperated in trying to raise awareness on this issue but, without clearer guidance from the Jewish community and football's governing bodies, what stance exactly should they take?

Some years ago I attended a debate on the subject, hosted by football's anti-racism campaign Kick It Out. On the night the loudest voices came from Tottenham supporters who did not want to stop using the word but in the days and weeks that followed I received many emails from Jewish Tottenham fans who said they were offended by the chants but felt unable truly to speak their minds. No one wants to be the party pooper.

This seems to be a large part of the problem – just as in the 1970s and 1980s it was difficult to recruit black and Asian voices brave enough to speak out against racism in football, so the same can be said now for antisemitism in the game.

Why, for example, are there no Jewish voices in the Baddiel film? There are plenty of high-profile Jews in football; why did they not add their names to the campaign?

Four years ago I set to work on an article about antisemitism in the professional game but I didn't get very far because a vast number of the Jews I approached for interview refused to talk about it.

Off the record their reasons came thick and fast: they had plenty to say but wouldn't risk upsetting anyone or ruining their careers over it; maybe they would speak out when they retired or maybe the public didn't perceive them as Jewish and they would rather it stayed that way.

Feeling a bit fed up I contacted the Chief Rabbi's office for a quote – if the Chief Rabbi can't settle a Jewish dilemma, who can? Having read that he is a keen football fan I thought he surely must have something to say. Sadly he was too busy to accommodate my request and in the intervening years does not appear to have tackled the issue.

I do sympathise. No one wants to be the lone campaign voice. Despite the success of the anti-racism campaign in football even now many black figures in the game are still reluctant to discuss the issue openly.

So whatever your views you have to admire the courage of the Baddiel brothers in making – and publicising – this film. They are both season-ticket holders at Stamford Bridge and it will be interesting to hear how their fellow supporters react when Tottenham visit Chelsea at the end of this month – especially the bloke that sits a few rows behind them shouting antisemitic abuse.

Watch the full Y-word video here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIvJC1_hKt8

www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/apr/15/y-word-debate-football

Readers' Comments
www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/apr/15/y-word-debate-football

"These are the times that try men's souls"

Shoutbox

Wel-come

texasranger: keep the ball! Nov 27, 2024 21:00:22 GMT

texasranger: corner! Nov 27, 2024 21:01:07 GMT

texasranger: willock coming on for them Nov 27, 2024 21:05:40 GMT

texasranger: come on get a grip on this game Nov 27, 2024 21:07:59 GMT

texasranger: its all carfdiff and corner after corner Nov 27, 2024 21:08:39 GMT

texasranger: paal on for smyth? Nov 27, 2024 21:10:57 GMT

texasranger: taking smyth off is strange Nov 27, 2024 21:12:29 GMT

texasranger: i guess we are just going to try and defend for 25 minutes Nov 27, 2024 21:13:29 GMT

texasranger: corner after corner as we cant keep the ball Nov 27, 2024 21:16:34 GMT

texasranger: changes coming, fox for morrison anderson for Madsen Nov 27, 2024 21:25:01 GMT

texasranger: another goal kick goes straight out of play Nov 27, 2024 21:26:20 GMT

texasranger: 90 th minute changes? Nov 27, 2024 21:34:25 GMT

texasranger: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Cellar 2-0 Nov 27, 2024 21:35:08 GMT

texasranger: breakaway goal well finished Nov 27, 2024 21:35:43 GMT

texasranger: lucky cardiff are worse than us at finishing Nov 27, 2024 21:38:15 GMT

texasranger: ceullar and Saito off kollie on Nov 27, 2024 21:38:52 GMT

texasranger: YESSSSSS a WIN AWAY!! URRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssss Nov 27, 2024 21:39:38 GMT

texasranger: long time coming but worked hard Nov 27, 2024 21:40:23 GMT

texasranger: Enjoy that win today Nov 27, 2024 21:41:24 GMT

texasranger: bye Nov 27, 2024 21:41:35 GMT