Urges European Anti-Racism Coalition To Denounce Incident
In a letter to the President of the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR), Benedetto Zacchiroli, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, expressed outrage at England fans’ Nazi salutes and anti-Semitic chants at the World Cup in Russia.
Samuels expressed appreciation for having participated in the ECCAR conference on “Racism in Football” last April in Liège, Belgium, adding, “As you are aware, we are monitoring the current World Cup and draw your attention to the link to a video of England fans celebrating their team's victory over Tunisia on Monday, 18 June, at the Galeriya Bar in Volgograd - formerly Stalingrad, the site of Hitler's bloodiest attack in World War II."
Samuels noted that “the UK Football Association rapidly condemned those in the clip, stating ‘the disgraceful conduct of the individuals in this video does not represent the values of the majority of English football fans supporting their team in Russia,’ adding, ‘We are working with the relevant authorities, including the UK Police investigation team, who are making inquiries to identify the individuals involved and take appropriate action’.”
The Centre called on ECCAR “to publicly denounce this incident and to share the video with its over 150 member-cities, as a case-study.”
“We also urge ECCAR to adopt the Wiesenthal Centre’s ‘11 Point Programme on Racism in Football' at its next General Assembly - a programme already endorsed by the Organization of American States (OAS a body 35 countries) and the Latin-American Parliament (PARLATINO composed of 23 national Congresses)," concluded Samuels.
For further information, contact Shimon Samuels at +33 609 770 158