In a letter to Michel Platini, President of UEFA, the European Football Association, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre expressed shock at the behaviour of Bosnia football fans who are seen in a video waving Palestinian flags while shouting anti-Semitic slogans such as ‘‘Kill the Jews,’’ prior to a friendly match against Austria in Vienna on 2 April.
Director for International Relations, Shimon Samuels, expressed shock at “the behaviour of Bosnia football fans. They are seen here in a film-clip link waving Palestinian flags while chanting ‘Kill the Jews,’ prior to the Austrian Bosnia friendly match in Vienna on 2 April:
In a statement, the Centre’s Director for International Relations, Shimon Samuels, urged UEFA “to take the strongest disciplinary measures against the Bosnian Football Association and expect that other European clubs take care that such behaviour be banned from any match, by the fans of any team.”
“This action debases the beautiful game and presages violence in sport from a new Jihadist-Nazi alliance,” said Samuels.
Some of the Bosnian fans can be identified in the crowd by their blue, white and yellow apparel, representing the soccer team and the country’s official colors. The rally took place in Stephansplatz, Vienna’s central square.
Austrian daily Der Standard reported that police are investigating the incident. Police spokesperson Roman Hahslinger said about 100 people participated in the demonstration, 50 of whom were football fans.