/ 2 March 2012

Uefa must act against anti-Semitic attack — rights group

Anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli player Itay Shechter demand “exemplary action” by Uefa, a leading Jewish human rights group told European soccer’s governing body in a letter on Friday.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center said it was “shocked by the intensity” of the verbal attacks against the forward at a Kaiserslautern training session in Germany last week and those responsible had to be prosecuted.

The incident took place on Sunday, a day after relegation-threatened Kaiserslautern’s 4-0 defeat at Mainz 05 left them in 17th place, level on points with bottom-placed Freiburg.

A small group of people shouted anti-Semitic insults at Shechter and did the Nazi salute. A few hundred fans had met with players and officials to discuss the club’s sporting situation.

“We urge Uefa to call on its German affiliates to rapidly prosecute the perpetrators of this outrage and all such hatemongers. Uefa must also ensure that forthcoming Euro games are free of racism,” it said in its letter to Uefa President Michel Platini.

It said the abuses included the banned Nazi salute and chants of “join the six million” in reference to Holocaust victims.

Police have launched an investigation to identify those involved while the club, which have called on fans to help identify the people involved, condemned the incident. — Reuters