Spurs fans won't be silenced

06 October 2013 20:46

Tottenham fans sent a clear message of defiance to police on Sunday by chanting 'Yid army' during the London derby against West Ham.

Police had warned fans of both teams prior to kick-off that they could be arrested if they sang the word.

Yid is a term for Jew which is often considered derogatory, but fans of the north London club chant the word as an act of defiance against those who taunt them because of their links with the Jewish community.

Despite the police warning, home fans sang "Yid army" and "We'll sing what we want" before kick-off and the chants did not cease throughout the match, which ended in a surprise 3-0 win to West Ham.

As is customary at all Spurs matches, home fans hailed their own star players by shouting "Yiddo" at them. "Jermain Defoe, he's a Yiddo" was often heard throughout the game.

On one occasion when Spurs fans sang "Yids", West Ham supporters responded with loud shouts of "Racists! Racists!"

There was a strong police presence at the game, but there was no visible evidence of any mass arrests.

Last season in the corresponding fixture, a small section of West Ham fans shocked the football world by using anti-Semitic language.

Just four days after Spurs fan Ashley Mills was stabbed in Rome, Hammers fans sang "Can we stab you every week?" and hissed, mimicking the gassing of Jews in the Holocaust.

But after pleas from owners David Sullivan and David Gold, as well as manager Sam Allardyce, there was no such chanting from the away end on this occasion.

Source: PA