Tottenham Hotspur fans.
Tottenham Hotspur fans. Photo by Reuters
Text size

British Prime Minister David Cameron says that London's Tottenham Hotspur 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. 

But the Football Association has recently warned Spurs fans that they could be prosecuted if they continue to use the term.

During a Premier League match on Yom Kippur, Spurs fans, who call themselves the "Yid Army," chanted “We’re Tottenham Hotspur, we’ll sing what we want” and applauded team stars with the chant “Yiddo.”

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."