Didnt mean you but those who decided the chant was something the courts should take notice of. Thats the same people who reported us for responding to sectarianism chants against our fans which they didn't find a problem with
YID ARMY! Case thrown out of court against the 3 Spurs fans facing charges. Utter waste of time and money but justice and common sense prevail.
joke situation to begin with. some of the few that pipe out on here with their self-righteous anti-yid comments make my skin crawl.
Spurs revisiting the debate with a 'consultation' ahead of the new season. Probably doesn't reflect too well on the 'brand' so I'm sure the club would love to avoid fans using the term. However I think it's a little naive from the club, it won't stop and the bolded part in the email stands out for me. It's typical of society in looking for a 'quick fix' to the problem rather than addressing the wider issue. If we can hush the victims racism magically disappears.
Here we go AGAIN! Tottenham didn't get the response they wanted to the previous supporter consultation so they'll ask again and again and again and again and again until these fans are replaced by fans that sit in their seats quietly and accept the hissing, the songs about gassing jews and so on.
Given the current climate i'm perfectly willing to reassess words i have said in the past that i thought were not wrong. i have used the word "oriental" before and have recently been educated that that phrase is racist... unbeknown to me. the aim of of life is to better yourself as a person ... it always should be. im willing to hear this debate out. however as far as i know I have never heard a jewish spurs fan have a problem with this. my stepfather is a jewish spurs and he sings this word proudly. if a horde of jewish spurs fans come forward and say they have a problem with it ... then lets have the discussion. as far as i know i havent seen any such movement yet.
Regardless of Tottenham's wishes, it's never going to stop. If anything the more fuss made about it, the more it'll encourage its use. They're not going to change the mindset of literally thousands of people who've been going for years and years and years, particularly when it accounts for the most vocal section of our support. Edit* For clarity, this thread was started ten years ago and we're still having this debate around the word. "They tried to stop us but look what it did.. the thing I love most is being a y** " is arguably one of the most popular songs at the moment.
Just listening to this on Sky Sports News & with a bloke from Jewish News who's very anti the song being sung but the more you tell especially football fans to do something the more they won't . Can't see how they can enforce it , will they ban everyone who sings it which is part & parcel of their tribal identity , will they in future ban the song " we'll fight for ever more because of Boxing Day " because it's an enditement for violence , no chance .
It's not something they can stop. They've gone as far as charging individuals before and the crown prosecution service have thrown it out with no action taken because there's no crime here. From a legal viewpoint it's clear that context is the key which is why no action has ever been taken against Spurs fans. This isn't hate speech in the way that Spurs fans use it. The law would have to change for any action to be taken and then it's such a large number of fans that I don't know how they'd even begin tackling it. Just basing it on last night, you'd have a near empty stadium because the "y word" is chanted loudly and proudly. This thread started 11 years ago, people know how certain individuals feel about the use of the word but I don't think there's anyone using it that isn't aware of the controversy around it. People's minds aren't going to change on the issue and it'll be just as loud come Sunday, perhaps moreso knowing that the club and many others are so against the use of it. One of the more popular songs to emerge in recent years sums up the attitude many have towards the issue. "We sung it France and we sung it in Spain We sang in the sun and we sang in the rain They tried to stop us but look what it did The thing I love most is being a yid.."
They will never stop that chant ,from an away supporters perspective it's completely unique and sounds brilliant when its belted out in your yard. The powers that be are trying to make football bereft of identity, a good few years back we had a small complaint over our 'Poor Scouser Tommy' song because of the old Nazi gun part. It seems they don't like any chant that holds a story ,so stand as one and sing it loud !
10 years is a long time but you could argue with the cancel culture age we now live in there will be more pressure then ever on the club to be seen doing more about it. I’ve seen Chelsea do a lot towards of work towards fighting anti-semitism with it naturally being very important to Abramovich so could Tottenham be doing more too? I genuinely don’t know what or if Spurs do anything but it’s a good place to start. As you’ve mentioned a lot of these chants come from your more vocal supporters and for the atmosphere they bring the club won’t want to lose them but maybe there needs to be more effort to raise the awareness and educate the fans. At the moment there appears to be a bit of heads buried in the sand approach and the poor excuse of “we’ve done it for years so it’s not offensive”. At least a warning followed by a ban gives any offenders a chance to change their behaviour.
I quite like comparing men's football and women's football because I think that's a good example of two very different sports. The latter is much much more inclusive and a nicer atmosphere and environment for people to experience. Men's football is very, very different in a lot of ways - for both good and bad. There are a lot of horrible things sung at stadiums every week but I do think context is important. Tottenham fans proudly associate themselves with the Jewish community. Whilst the word is controversial I'm not sure there can be any argument that the word is used negatively at our club. I keep referring to the song "the thing I love most is being a yid" because it perfectly sums up the pride people have in the word and the context we use it in. It's not hate speech or derogatory and context should have some place in the debate around the word. There'll be people that don't like it and are offended by it but I imagine that's the case for many chants or songs within football. Some that are genuinely there to offend too. The reality is that Tottenham's use has always been positive and it's going to be very difficult for people to give up the use of the word. Tottenham have made their views on the subject quite clear on many occasions. I go back to 2011 but they had Ledley King feature in a campaign alongside Frank Lampard trying to raise awareness and eradicate the use of the word. Tottenham have tried to distance themselves from the word as much as possible but it's a battle they aren't going to win with the core support really. As far as warnings or bans go, there's no precedent for it. They tried charging fans in the past and it was thrown out of court by the CPS, there's no legal basis for punishing fans because it isn't a crime. It's been made clear in the past that context is the key and this doesn't fall within the remit of hate speech. It's used in a positive way which makes it impossible to punish unless there is a law change. I'm not sure there's much more Totttenham can do other than politely request supporters not to use it and try and educate people about it but I don't think there are many fans that aren't already aware of the controversies around the word. This debate will go on and on and on but I don't think there are any fans naive or even ignorant enough to not understand that there will be some football fans and also some people outside of football altogether that don't like our use of it and are offended by it. The reality is people know that already. I don't think there's anything Spurs, football authorities or any other group can do to make that any clearer. At best they might sway a few people but it's deeply rooted in to the culture of the support and the football club. Fans that use the Y word, myself included, feel so strongly and passionate about it and the reasoning behind it that its use is not going away. I don't think it's solely about "we've done it for years so it's not offensive" - the reality is many people still don't consider it offensive and as things stand, the law backs them up. Three Tottenham fans to avoid punishment for using the word 'Yid' in the terraces | Daily Mail Online
and just to add, as if I've not spoken on this subject many, many times on various platforms already.. I think the problem is that this issue is much more complex than other racism, sexism, homophobia in football and society. I'm all for inclusivity and equality but it's often a lot more, for lack of a better phrase, black and white than that. We want to see those outdated views and problems stamped out of football but when it's there to offend and abuse and be hateful it's a lot easier to tackle and stamp out. In contrast how do you tackle a problem that is intended to be a positive term? Our use of the Y word is not comparable to getting on Twitter and racially abusing a black player for missing a penalty or making a mistake - which is quite clearly wrong and unnecessary and shouldn't still be happening as frequently as it does. Tottenham fans welcomed Kulusevski and Bentancur from the bench to chants of "yiddo" last night - a "you're now one of us" chant. It wasn't a derogatory chant about two newcomers to the club, its intention was a warm welcome to the club and the Premier League. I think football has continued to evolve and change with the times to be more inclusive but it's easier to tackle hate that has the intend to offend, abuse and hurt people. The Y word at Spurs for all of its controversies doesn't do that. It has had positive intent behind it and tried to unite fans and make them feel welcome in our community and at our stadium. Trying to change that mindset will always be a struggle because the majority of Tottenham fans are already fully aware of the history behind the word. Any steps that can tackle antisemitism should be applauded but I don't think Spurs are going to have much success in changing the attitude of fans who've long known how controversial our use of it is.
I understand the point you’re making but I think this “badge of pride” you refer to was probably born from ignorance more than anything. The majority of your fans are only using the word as a club nickname rather than it being this big gesture to reclaim a racial slur. There’s the same pride as Arsenal fans calling themselves the Gunners but there are plenty of young fans growing up chanting it without any context or understanding. To them it’s just the club nickname. So I understand none of your fans are using it as a racial slur but in this day and age you can’t use “but we’re not using it offensively” as an excuse anymore. Just look at the Washington Commanders. They’ve had to change their entire club name away from (Washington Redskins) and completely rebrand their whole club and logo. None of their fans were cheering on the “redskins” as a racial slur but it didn’t make it appropriate.
Is there a reason Chelsea people seem bothered by the usage? I understand Baddiel, but also Frank Lampard in a campaign and then Gal is seemingly interested in the topic? Not a dig, just wondering.
I think it's a tad unfair to assume there is that much ignorance around it. If you're a young kid you're not going to understand the chant or use of the word but it's something you learn as you get to grips with the history of the club. That's no different to learning of Chelsea's history as a young Chelsea fan now. Young fans only see the club as it is today but when you have that passion for it you learn about the days that came before you. I genuinely don't believe that there are many fans of say teenage years upwards that don't know the background and origins of the links of the word with Tottenham. It's a big part of our history and a big part of the culture at Spurs. Whether it's right to continue using it or not is down to personal opinion but as I say it's complex. I don't think it's clear cut. You're never going to please everyone, you'll ask some Jewish fans who are completely fine with Tottenham's use of it and others that are completely against with our use of it so it's not as simple as whether it's right or wrong. You'll get a different opinion from everyone you ask. I don't think it's as comparable to other situations within football and society. Last night Tottenham were promoting 'football against homophobia' for instance which is something any reasonable supporter will be united in stamping out of fooitball because there's no place for that division and hate in the game. I think it's much harder trying to stamp out something that is fundamentally intended to be positive. That's not to say people within the Jewish community won't be offended by it because everyone's story is different and the word will hit harder for some people than it will for other people but I don't know how the word will ever be eradicated or disassociated from the club. It's too deeply rooted in to the club to disappear. It genuinely is a badge of honour and a source of pride for a lot of Tottenham supporters, including some Jewish supporters. Chelsea are strongly associated with it, partly because of Baddiel and also because they're rivals of ours and have been one of the worst for antisemitism at the club and within their support. The Lampard inclusion goes back to the original 'Y word' campaign which was in the lead-up to a game at Stamford Bridge - one of the stadiums Tottenham fans have historically been subjected to abuse more than others. Both clubs worked together, alongside the Baddiel's to promote a campaign to stop its use so Lampard featured for Chelsea and King for Spurs. As Gal previously said, Chelsea have done a lot in recent years to try and educate and progress the antisemitism problem in football. They deserve credit for that but I think the reason Chelsea's involvement and connection to the issue is more prevalent is because they've arguably on the other side so looking at all ways of reducing and eradicating antisemitism in football - including from the Tottenham side. I think any interest from a Chelsea side (Gal) is probably because their club have been widely reported as one of the most guilty, along with West Ham, for the antisemitism within their support so is something hard to disassociate from their own club.
