Successful prosecution in Rugby
A 56-year old defendant from Rugby has been sentenced for racially abusing two people including a police officer.
Read more...Abramovich, a Russian-Israeli billionaire businessman, investor and politician is best known in the UK for owning Chelsea Football Club.
Through Chelsea FC, Abramovich has officially launched an antisemitism campaign in January 2018 to “raise awareness of” antisemitism and to “tackle it in all its forms”.
As part of Holocaust Memorial Day in 2018, Mr Abramovich dedicated a Chelsea game “to the victims of the Holocaust and to the Jewish community”. This initial gesture was really the start of a global campaign which is has now been developed as far as the US.
Back in 2018, Mr Abramovich commented that “The Holocaust was a crime without parallel in history. We must never forget such atrocities and must do our utmost to prevent them from ever happening again.”
Chelsea have seen challenges in tackling cases of antisemitism by fans and they have been praised for their efforts in eradicating the issue. Launching their antisemitism campaign in January 2018 to raise awareness and educate about antisemitism in football, vowing to take a zero-tolerance approach.
Chelsea have previously supported their academy football players to participate in educational visits to Auschwitz where over one million Jews were murdered during World War II.
In May 2019, Chelsea played US side New England Revolution in a charity match which was organised as part of the London club's 'Say No to Antisemitism' campaign.
The US campaign has been branded "Final Whistle on Hate" and the charity match which saw Chelsea win 3-1 against New England helped raise 3 Million pound ($4 Million Dollars) for organisations combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination.
As part of the US tour, Chelsea players visited the Boston's Holocaust memorial ahead of the match at the Gillette Stadium, which is also home to the New England Patriots.
Mr Abramovich recently commented "While people know us for our teams and our clubs on the pitch, sport is about far more than trophies. It is about ensuring our organisations play a positive role in all our communities. It has always been important to me to create a club that is welcoming to everyone - we actively celebrate our cultural and religious diversity.
The campaign is a positive response by Chelsea Football Club and Mr Abramovich. Chelsea FC have received negative publicity and their fans have been accused of promoting antisemitism in the past.
Chelsea fans have repeatedly been accused of antisemitic remarks, gestures and chants, often when the team plays Tottenham Hotspur, which is known to have many Jewish fans.
In 2013, Yossi Benayoun, the Israeli midfielder who played for Chelsea, said the abuse from fans of his own side was the worst he had experienced in his career.
The new initiative will see the Premier League football team work with groups including the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Jewish Museum, the Community Security Trust (CST), Kick It Out, the World Jewish Congress, the Anne Frank House, and Maccabi GB.
Antisemitism is a huge issue in our society and any person(s) that experiences and/or witnesses any form of hate related crime should always report to the police by calling 101 (non-emergency situations), but always call 999 in an emergency.
In Warwickshire, there is the option of reporting anonymously via the www.reporthatenow.com website, report via email: advice@equipequality.org.uk or if you prefer to speak to someone, you can call EQuIP on 01788 863117.
EQuIP are an independant charity and their specialist Caseworkers and Equality Officers can offer information, guidance and support. All reports and information disclosed to EQuIP is kept secure inline with data protection legislation.