Shocking images in the stands. The Jewish community of Rome denounced on Monday, photo and video in support, alleged anti-Semitic songs by Lazio Rome supporters during the derby won against Roma (1-0) on Sunday.
“A whole bend singing anti-Semitic choirs, a “supporter” in the stands with a Hitlerson jersey and the number 88 [utilisé dans la mouvance néonazie pour signifier “Heil Hitler”] and we, as always, the only ones outraged and protesting,” Ruth Dureghello, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, wrote on Twitter.
“Is it possible that everyone continues to act as if nothing has happened? “, added the manager, whose message is accompanied by a photo and videos. These images have been “verified,” a spokesman for the Jewish community in Rome told AFP.
Multiple skids
These denunciations come just twelve days after the Italian federation announced the opening of an investigation into alleged anti-Semitic slogans chanted by Lazio fans during their team’s match in Naples (1-0) on March 3. In January, the north corner of the Stadio olimpico in Rome, which brings together the ultras of the Biancoceleste club, was closed for a match after racist cries from these ultras during a trip to Lecce, targeting Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda.
In recent years, Lazio’s ultras have been regularly singled out for racist or anti-Semitic behavior. In 2017, they notably distinguished themselves by hijacking an image of Anne Frank, a German Jewish teenager who died in the Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Germany, which they had displayed wearing the AS Roma jersey.
Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi retweeted the message of indignation from the president of the Jewish community in Rome and replied immediately: “Impossible to act as if nothing had happened. I will do my part, as I feel the duty to do. Respect is a due and is non-negotiable,” he wrote.