Tottenham Hotspur's manager Andre Villas-Boas gestures during their English Premier League soccer match against Norwich City, at White Hart Lane stadium, London, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Bogdan Maran)
September 17, 2013 - 6:38 AM
LONDON - British Prime minister David Cameron says that Tottenham fans should be allowed to use the word "Yid" in their chants because they are not motivated by hate.
Tottenham, which has a strong Jewish fan base, has been targeted by anti-Semitic insults for years and the club's supporters use the word "Yid" to describe themselves. Tottenham's firm is also called the "Yid Army."
But the Football Association has recently warned Spurs fans that they could be prosecuted if they continue to use the term.
Cameron told The Jewish Chronicle that "there's a difference between Spurs fans self-describing themselves as Yids and someone calling someone a Yid as an insult. You have to be motivated by hate. Hate speech should be prosecuted - but only when it's motivated by hate."
News from © The Associated Press, 2013