Police arrest three Betar fans for racist jeers ("we are a pure team")

Police arrested three Betar Jerusalem soccer fans for racist jeering made at Saturday's game at the Teddy stadium in Jerusalem, Army Radio reported on Sunday.

The background for the racist flare up was the news that team owner Arkady Gaydamak intends to bring two Muslim Chechen players to the team. Referring to the practice of the team to recruit only Jewish players, the fans held signs that read "Betar is a pure team."

Politicians in Israel who condemned the fans' behavior were quick to link the event to Sunday's marking of International Holocaust Memorial Day.

Incoming MK Elazar Stern (Tzipi Livni Party), condemned the behavior of Betar's fans as "completely unacceptable," and told Army Radio that if on Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel does not face the racism that has spread in our society "then we are in trouble." Stern, who said there are currently 200,000 victims of the Holocaust living in Israel, is a son of Holocaust survivors himself, and is the Chairman of the Board of The Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors.

...

Rivlin called for the Israel Football Association not to stand silent in light of recent events.

"Think what would happen if teams in England or Germany would decide that Jews cannot play for them. Israelis would censure them," he stated. "These calls have continued for a decade, and they teach us that it is not a small, fringe group. We must fight them, uproot them from among us and do justice with anyone who incites against partnership between all who live in this land."

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=301093