Spurs fans attacked in Lyon for being Jews
IN Lyon, a mob of around 50 locals have attacked Tottenham Hotspur fans drinking in the Smoking Dog pub ahead of their team’s Europa Cup match in the French city tonight. Why? Some of the mob made Nazi salutes. Sours has a vocal Jewish following. Can a connection be made? Dave Eales, is the pub’s landlord. He says:
“At 10.18pm the pub was rammed with Tottenham fans watching the Champions League on the television… They [the attckers] threw projectiles through the windows. There was a stand-off. They didn’t get into the bar. Then it calmed down. Then they came back a second time and it all started again. There were three injured Tottenham fans taken away by ambulance. One of them had a head injury. I’m not sure how bad it was.”
…
“The most disappointing thing is that I spoke to the police a couple of days ago about the potential for trouble because of what people associate Tottenham being.”
A fan says:
“A lit flare was thrown through the window as well as the heavy weight, the kind that’s used on terraces to hold down umbrellas. It was terrifying. I’ve never seen anything like it. They threw iron stools through the windows as well.”
Another adds:
“They came in making Nazi salutes. It was frightening. Rome was fresh in everyone’s minds. Everyone realised this was serious. They left and then we thought that was it, but five minutes later it started again. The intruders did not get in to the bar because it was full of Spurs fans. There were drips of blood left in the bar. The owners barricaded the pub between the two waves of attacks.”
In November, Spurs fans were attacked at a pub in Rome on the eve of their game against Lazio.
James Taylor:
“It was pre-meditated, pre-arranged. It was nothing to do with Spurs fans. We were in the pub having a few drinks at about 10pm. There were about 150 Spurs fans singing. It was all in good nature. Then there was a bang. We ignored the first one and there was a second one, suddenly. The windows were smashed and stools were thrown into the pub. We ran back to hide. We were stuck in the back of the pub for about half an hour. We were worried. No Spurs fans were violent or too drunk.”
Who did it. And why? Lyon has a rich history of anti-Semitism. It was the bastion of Vichy France. And Rome has been no safe haven for Jews. But it is anti-Semitism driving these attacks? When Olympique Lyonnais played Ajax, another club with a Jewish tradition, there was no such trouble. Maybe it’s the English these nutters don’t like? The Jewish angle just a bonus…
Posted: 21st, February 2013 | In: Sports Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
