Friday, October 1st, 2021
“Fuck Jews”
Anger over anti-Semitism at Union-Spiel
During the European Conference League game of the Bundesliga soccer team Union Berlin, there are apparently anti-Semitic actions against supporters of the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa. The guests praise the “great hospitality” of the Berliners, the incidents in the stadium meanwhile cause trouble.
After the European Cup game in the Conference League between 1. FC Union and Maccabi Haifa (3-0), the Young Forum of the German-Israeli Society complained about anti-Semitic actions by supporters of the Berlin Bundesliga club. “In the mixed block we were threatened by Union fans, pelted with beer and insulted, among other things, as ‘shitty Jews'”, it said on Twitter late in the evening. The “Tagesspiegel” reports, citing “several witnesses”, of “permanent mobbing”. The affected group then left the block.
“Four of us stayed in the mixed block, however, one of whom had a cardboard Israel flag with him. A Union fan then tried to set it on fire,” reports the Junge Forum on Twitter. This was prevented by the intervention of plainclothes police. At the same time, other Berlin fans had spoken out against the anti-Semitic behavior, according to the Junge Forum. 1. FC Union Berlin reacted to the incidents on its Twitter account and demanded that block and seat numbers be given to identify the viewers concerned.
Maccabi Haifa’s guest appearance was the first appearance of an Israeli soccer team in the Berlin Olympic Stadium built by the National Socialists for the 1936 Olympic Games. Union Berlin is not allowed to play its home games in its own stadium at the Alte Försterei in the Köpenick district due to UEFA regulations on spectator capacity.
Maccabi praises “great hospitality”
Maccabi Haifa has not yet commented on the allegations, but praised the generally peaceful atmosphere. “Thank you for the great hospitality. It was an exciting game in front of your and our audience and also in this stadium, which has its meaning. Thank you and see you in Israel,” wrote the Israeli champions on Twitter.
During the game there was a predominantly euphoric mood among the 23,324 spectators. Around 1000 Haifa fans cheered their team on just as passionately as the Union fans their team. On match day, a high-ranking Iron delegation welcomed the guests from Israel in their own stadium. On Wednesday representatives from Maccabi Haifa visited the Holocaust memorial in Berlin and laid a wreath.
In 2019, during a game between the then second division Union Berlin and FC Ingolstadt, a fan posted an anti-Semitic tweet that the club reported on information from Ingolstadt. At the time, Union published a long statement in which President Dirk Zingler strongly condemned the incident. “I am ashamed of such Unioners,” he was quoted as saying. “We will do everything we can to isolate and prosecute them. Union stands for humanistic and democratic values. Those who do not share these have lost nothing in our club and in our stadium. We must resolutely take up the fight against the brutalisation of our society and lead him consistently, also in our ranks. ” The FC Union ask all Unioners “for support in the fight against any kind of discrimination. Union stands for humanity and tolerance!” The club has not yet officially commented on the current incident from the European Conference League.