Firebrand former MP George Galloway has been blasted for “blatant antisemitism” by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, after he tweeted that their loss in the Champions League final signified “no Israel flags on the cup”.
The outspoken talk show host was celebrating Liverpool’s historic 2-0 victory in Madrid and honouring the memory of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster, but rounded off his tweet with a jibe targeting Spurs’ supporters.
Galloway offered praise to “the great people of #Liverpool to the memory of the socialist miner #BillShankley [sic] to the fallen #96 to those who fought for justice for them and to the Liverpool dockers.”
He ended his tweet saying “No #Israel flags on the Cup!”
Congratulations to the great people of #Liverpool to the memory of the socialist miner #BillShankley to the fallen #96 to those who fought for justice for them and to the Liverpool dockers. No #Israël flags on the Cup!
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) June 1, 2019
Both clubs were quick to come down hard on Galloway, with Tottenham releasing a statement to Sky Sports News: “It’s astounding in this day and age to read such blatant antisemitism published on a social platform by someone who is still afforded air time on a radio station on which he has previously broken broadcast impartiality rules.”
Citing former Israeli players for the club, the head of Club and Supporter Liaison at Liverpool Football Club, Tony Barrett, pummelled Galloway:
“Please don’t include Liverpool Football Club in this b******t. It’s the club of Ronnie Rosenthal and Avi Cohen. It’s the club of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. It’s the club of Parson Jackson and Bill Shankly (with no e). It’s a club of all flags, all religions, all nations and none.”
Please don’t include Liverpool Football Club in this bullshit. It’s the club of Ronnie Rosenthal and Avi Cohen. It’s the club of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. It’s the club of Parson Jackson and Bill Shankly (with no e). It’s a club of all flags, all religions, all nations and none. https://t.co/EK1fMnupz4
— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarrett) June 2, 2019
A Tweet sent out by Lord Sugar, former chairman of the Spurs, which read: “If I sent out a racist tweet like @georgegalloway all hell would break loose. His tweet after the Spurs v Liverpool game were …No #Isreal [sic] flags on the cup. A swipe at the Jewish community who are Spurs fans. The man is low life,, an anti-Semite of the highest order.”
If I sent out a racist tweet like @georgegalloway all hell would break loose. His tweet after the Spurs v Liverpool game were…No #Isreal flags on the cup. A swipe at the Jewish community who are Spurs fans.The man is low life an anti-Semite of the highest order @SpursOfficial
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) June 3, 2019
Historically, many Tottenham supporters have come from the UK’s Jewish community.
Chanting ‘yid’ has also been done by Spurs’ rivals, giving rise to accusations of antisemitism.
Former Labour Party member George Galloway has been the host of a “The Mother of All Talk Shows” on TalkRADIO since June 2016, broadcasting on Friday evenings.
