Jewish and Romani youth jointly condemn the growth in antigypsyism and antisemitism at Czech football and ice hockey stadiums
The Czech Union of Jewish Youth and the informal Association of Romani Youth have issued a joint press release about how they are greatly disturbed by the growth in antigypsyist and antisemitic speech at football and ice hockey stadiums in the Czech Republic. The groups warn that discriminatory, hateful speech is unacceptable and contravenes the values of sports, which should symbolize fair play, respect and unity.
The press release recalls the incident at the end of a football match in which the captain of AC Sparta Praha autographed a uniform with an antisemitic message instead of the player’s name and the number “88”, which references “Heil Hitler”, the Nazi greeting. The Jewish and Romani youth are also reminding the public that “Death to Sparta” or “Death, death, death ACS, soul of a whore, blood of a gypsy” were chanted by fans of the Slavia club recently.
In their joint statement, the Jewish and Romani youth also condemn the racist remarks by trainer Petr Rada toward Tomáš Polách, calling him a “gypsy loser”, and Brno fans’ racism toward ice hockey player Dominik Lakatoš, who is of Romani origin. “These actions are a painful reminder that antisemitism and hate in sports still persists and that it is necessary to actively combat it. Antisemitism, just like any other form of hate, has no place in society and especially not at sports events, which should be spaces for positive experiences and social gatherings without prejudice. History has repeatedly shown us the tragic consequences of disseminating discrimination and hate. For that reason, it is absolutely essential that each of us stands up to such speech and actively contributes to eradicating it,” the press release says.
Both of the youth organizations are calling on all stakeholders in football and ice hockey, including fans, management bodies, players and trainers, to take a clear stand against any discriminatory speech based on origin, political persuasion or religion. “Football is the most popular sport in the world, it is meant to be a positive force in society. However, in order to achieve that, we must all, whether we are fans, players or trainers, work together to create a friendly, safe environment for everybody irrespective of their origin, religion or political persuasion,” the youth organizations say, calling on everybody to stand up against antisemitism and other forms of hate, to condemn discriminatory speech, and to behave with decency, dignity and respect.
