Italian fans protest holocaust tribute

[Captain...]

This is just a whole bag of weird:

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41762423

 

Some Juventus fans turned their backs and sang the Italian national anthem during a minute's silence to remember the Holocaust before the Serie A game against SPAL.

A passage of Anne Frank's diary was read before Wednesday's matches, after an anti-Semitic incident at Lazio on Sunday.

At most stadiums the minute's silence turned into applause.

But some fans at Roma-Crotone drowned out the reading with team chants.

On Sunday at Rome's Olympic Stadium a section of Lazio fans known as the "ultras" - known for their racist chants and often violent behaviour - left stickers of Holocaust victim Frank in a Roma jersey alongside anti-Semitic slogans such as "Roma fans are Jews".

Italian president Sergio Mattarella called the case "alarming" and Italian police have opened an investigation.

On Wednesday, Lazio players warmed up for their 2-1 win at Bologna in jerseys with an image of Frank and the words "No to anti-Semitism".

Frank became one of the most famous Jewish victims of the Holocaust after her diary of her life as a German Jew in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam in World War Two was published in 1947.

She died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when she was 15 years old.

[Guest MattP]

A few idiots from one club post a few Anne Frank stickers around and it ends up with passages of her diary being read to fans of everyone before the next match?

 

Mental.

[Finnegan]

Surely the reaction from the Italian FA just gives power to the Lazio wankers in the first place? 

 

They'll just do it again now it got attention. 

 

Should have just removed the stickers, quietly lumped Lazio with a fine and got on with it. 

 

Next we'll have Julian Clary presenting Match of the Day in response to some fans singing gay chants at Brighton. 

 

Actually, wait, that would be amazing. 

[Captain...]

6 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Surely the reaction from the Italian FA just gives power to the Lazio wankers in the first place? 

 

They'll just do it again now it got attention. 

 

Should have just removed the stickers, quietly lumped Lazio with a fine and got on with it. 

 

Next we'll have Julian Clary presenting Match of the Day in response to some fans singing gay chants at Brighton. 

 

Actually, wait, that would be amazing. 

close enough

 

 

[Harry - LCFC]

Unfortunately there are Italian fans who sympathise with neo-Nazi groups. If you care to browse google images you can see that they're not afraid to be public about it.

 

I'm not sure this tribute was the best way to respond to it but something needs to be said against it. A supporter-driven initiative could be more effective in sending out the right message.

 

 

[Finnegan]

23 minutes ago, Harry - LCFC said:

Unfortunately there are Italian fans who sympathise with neo-Nazi groups. If you care to browse google images you can see that they're not afraid to be public about it.

 

I'm not sure this tribute was the best way to respond to it but something needs to be said against it. A supporter-driven initiative could be more effective in sending out the right message.

 

 

 

 

 

[SpacedX]

It's as synonymous with the Club as the sectarianism that divides Celtic and Rangers both on and off the field.

 

[fuchsntf]

Belongs in  "c**nts of our time"

 

Cant think of anything else appropiate to say...

probably these fans and their families should be forced to go to the stadium.

Then told to sit down...and listen to a show, of Jewish comedians making humour out  of the 

holocaust, themselves.

As a couple of friends once told me, a good, wry, dry thoughtfull turn of wit, is the best way to make

sure certain subjects are remembered and kept to memory...Plus life at its darkest, can produce some of its

silliest humour, more so when it comes from within and from the affected..

[RoboFox]

Reiterating what I was saying in he Euro Football thread:

 

This is absolutely bonkers.

 

I agree the Anne Frank reading and the Bologna "we're all Anne Frank" reaction leaflets were probably ill-judged, but I think the intention was there.

 

A culture of anti-semitic and racist "humour" has long persisted among Ultras from so many Italian football teams, and Italian football's reputation precedes it. The IFF clearly wanted to be seen to be acting on it before it snowballed. It clearly backfired.

 

It isn't surprising though. The Ultras' flagrant racism is always excused by its propagators in the same terms: as irreverence, banter, deliberate bad-taste satire. 

 

It will take more than a reading and a few flyers to bring about meaningful change there.

 

If anyone's interested, there's a FANTASTIC (and very long) Guardian article on just how bloody bonkers the Ultras situation in Italy.

Makes the wannabe "Ultras" in the UK seem like choirboys. And I'm glad. I wouldn't want people like that anywhere near our football clubs.

 

 

[leicsmac]

It's rather sad that the Italian "ultras" seem hellbent on backing a philosophy that got their arse kicked ten ways to Sunday once already.

[Carl the Llama]

4 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Line-X said:

[Finnegan]

For the record, Buffon isn't giving a fascist salute in the photo, it was his choice of squad number that got him in trouble. 

 

He claimed ignorance, saying the 88 represented four circles or something and it was to mean rebirth. 

 

But then later on he was seen with a shirt that had a fascist slogan on about traitors or something. 

 

He also claimed he didn't know that was fascist. 

 

Given he's always seemed a rather smart guy, I'm not sure I buy it tbh. But it could have been the stupidity of youth I suppose. 

[SystonFox]

88 represents Heil Hitler does it not? Think I learnt that from Homeland