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Within the last week, fans of a London soccer team with historically Jewish ties have endured verbal and physical assaults during games in London and Rome.  B’nai B’rith International has released the following statement:

B’nai B’rith condemns the anti-Semitic actions of West Ham United fans, an East London soccer team, while visiting their cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a Nov. 25 match. Tottenham is located in North London and is a club with historically Jewish ties.

During the game, West Ham fans reportedly made references to Adolf Hitler in their chants. They also made hissing noises to imitate the sound of a gas chamber.

B’nai B’rith is repulsed by reports of this behavior and commends West Ham United management for pledging to issue lifetime bans for those supporters found to be guilty of such despicable acts.  


Tottenham fans were also attacked in Rome, in another violent outburst linked to anti-Semitism

On Nov. 23, a group of Tottenham supporters gathered at a bar in Rome before a match against the Italian team Lazio, when a mob stormed the establishment brandishing bats and knives. Ten people were injured in the attack including one fan who underwent surgery for a severed artery in his leg as a result of a knife wound.

The alleged perpetrators are fans of Lazio and another Rome squad, A.S. Roma. Witnesses told the media that the attackers shouted “Jews, Jews” as they invaded the bar.