West Bromwich Albion Player Gives Antisemitic "Quenelle" Salute

Anelka behaving badly

Racist chants, taunts, and gestures by white football fans aimed at black players are, rightly, condemned by all decent people.  Still occasionally seen at football matches in Britain, such chants, taunts, and gestures are nowadays more widespread in the stands at matches on the Continent, especially in certain Central and Eastern European lands.

Yesterday a new racist gesture infected a football match in Britain.  It was not given by a white neo-Nazi or half-drunk scumbag making "monkey" noises at black players.

It was, instead, made by a French player, Nicolas Anelka, who like Dieudonné, the notorious French antisemite who invented it, happens to be black. He apparently made it as a triumphalist gesture after scoring a goal for the English team for which he currently plays, West Bromwich Albion, against West Ham.

To quote from the SkyNews report:

'Richard Ferrer, of the Jewish News, told Sky Sports News: "Prior to this blowing up this afternoon it wasn't something I was familiar with. But after doing a little bit of research, the 'quenelle' - as it is known in France - is a reverse Nazi salute. The arm is upright and saluted in the infamous Nazi gesture. But this, as you saw, is arm down, with the other arm touching the shoulder.

"This is either a lack of awareness on Anelka's part, or something more sinister...he must be aware of the 'quenelle's meaning and the baggage it carries. Surely he was making a statement? It's a major concern for the Football Association."

European Jewish Congress president Moshe Kantor said: "This salute is merely a lesser known Nazi salute and we expect the same kind of punishment to be handed down by the authorities as if Anelka had made the infamous outstretched arm salute."....'

Anelka, meanwhile, has tweeted:

"This gesture was just a special dedication to my comedian friend Dieudonné."

(Apparently Dieudonné himself has claimed that the quenelle is merely "an anti-establishment gesture.")

Whatever Anelka's motive for making it, and despite Dieudonné's claim, the "quenelle" salute (as we saw here) is an acknowledged antisemitic gesture, and as such has no place in the sporting arena, or any other public venue.  The French Minister for Sports has already denounced what Anelka did.  The West Bromwich Albion coach has taken a more phlegmatic view.  The Football Association has launched an investigation. Read and see more of Anelka's salute and reaction to it here and  here


And this story suddenly got most interesting indeed! (hat tip: reader Ian) See here!

Kicking Antisemitism Out of English Football

The comedian and novelist David Baddiel has written passionately about the need to root antisemitism out of English football.

For instance, he's cited a song among Chelsea fans baiting Spurs (Tottenham Hotspur) fans (many of whom, like those in this picture, are Jewish) that goes:

'He's only a poor little yiddo, he stands all alone on the Shelf
He's only a poor little yiddo,
He stands all alone on the Shelf,
He goes to the bar
To buy a lager
And only buys one for himself!'

And Baddiel's also heard this ditty at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea Football Club's home ground:

'Who's that team they call the Chelsea?
Who's that team they all adore?
Barcelona, Real Madrid,
Tottenham are a bunch of Yids!'

As well as, he's attested,

 'just the simple chant of "Yiddo! Yiddo!", repeated, in a deliberately guttural, threatening echo, with added ever-so-slightly Nazi finger movements, every five or six minutes.

This happens every time Chelsea play Tottenham. Chants of "Yiddo!" are also meted out to any player who spent any time at Tottenham.... I don't know how many Jews do actually support Tottenham (a fair amount, certainly), nor do I know how much this behaviour is replicated at other grounds, but I would be surprised if local derbies with Arsenal or West Ham are entirely Yiddo-free....

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. But 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.'

For the remainder of the article see:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/david-baddiel-so-you-think-weve-kicked-racism-out-of-english-football-614251.html

Now, Baddiel and his brother Ivor have scripted a video featuring such sporting luminaries as Frank Lampard and Gary Lineker, calling for "the Y word" to be banished from football fans' vocabularies.

Explains Baddiel:

"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."

Says Spurs' executive director:

"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."

See: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/906854/top-stars-feature-in-anti-semitism-campaign?cc=5739