Independent article accuses Newcastle United’s fans of anti-Semitism towards Mike Ashley
Posted on July 21st, 2013 | 77 Comments |
The piece is a sickly hagiography of Mike Ashley entitled “Is Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley the best boss in the world?” In it’s original version, it alleged that Newcastle United fans had abused the club’s owner on the basis of his Jewish background, despite the fact that he isn’t even Jewish..
On the club’s official Twitter page they tweeted:
“The club is aware of the article in today’s Independent and has referred the matter to its lawyers. Thanks to fans who have raised concerns.”
There is also an image of the original tweet below. To get to the meat in the sandwich though, the anti-Semitic parts of Armitage’s piece were rapidly edited out, but it was too late for the Independent and the original part of the piece which made the slur is preserved below.
It read:
“None of the criticisms is entirely without merit, although he would never admit it. What he might do, though, if you get enough beers in him, is regale you with some of the less polite chants about him from the terraces of St James’s Park. Says a colleague: “The one I’ve heard him sing goes something like “Give us back our club you cockney c***”. The anti-Semitic ones make him laugh too, because, contrary to belief on Tyneside, he’s not even Jewish.”
The twisted logic behind Armitage’s slur may rest in another falsehood, the misconception that Mike Ashley is a fan of North London Jewish side, Tottenham, though he is actually a Chelsea fan who used to frequent Stamford Bridge.
The now edited piece can be found here
Newcastle United’s tweet on the Jim Armitage’s piece.
The club is aware of the article in today's Independent and has referred the matter to its lawyers. Thanks to fans who have raised concerns
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFCOfficial) July 20, 2013
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Heard about this yesterday, I’ve heard fans discussing the fact Mike Ashley might be Jewish, But there has never been any Anti-Semitic abuse.
He’s been called a greedy fat so and so, Or stronger words to that effect, But never anything Anti-Semitic.
So it turns out he’s not even Jewish anyway, But that has never stopped the “Wrong Turn” section of our fans, Who still think he’s a Cockney, For some strange reason!