West Ham & Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg
The Guardian’s sport reporter Jacob Steinberg is a well-known West Ham fan.
It’s also common knowledge that Jacob Steinberg is Jewish.
Just a few days ago Steinberg reported on how a West Ham supporters’ board member, Nik Tucker, has resigned his post amid accusations of antisemitism, homophobia and racism.
Story on the latest development over West Ham’s official supporters’ board. Details on the accusations of antisemitism and homophobia that led to resignation of away fan rep here https://t.co/DDew2qZySO #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 1, 2019
Tucker had posted offensive images online.
One of those images showed orthodox Jews as Tottenham fans. That image had originally come from the popular West Ham Fan TV account.
Steinberg gave his description of the picture, as follows:
A page on the Crossed Hammers site offering information for West Ham fans about away games against Tottenham showed a photograph featuring a large gathering of orthodox Jews and was captioned: “Shite Hart Lane will be a sell out this season with half-price season ticket discounts”.
Another showing orthodox Jews looking in containers that appear to be bins was captioned: “Spurs! The Scousers of London!”
West Ham fans react badly
In the past few days, Steinberg has been receiving online abuse from some West Ham fans.
Steinberg has been called a “worm” and a “blood-sucking leech.”
The reporter has also been accused of drumming up attention for personal financial gain.
Jacob Steinberg’s original thread
There have been a lot of tweets from West Ham fans and Jacob Steinberg in recent days.
We cannot link to every single one of them, but the most important ones have been collected below.
We start with a thread Steinberg posted on Twitter a couple of days ago.
Where to begin? For a start the offending photos did not merely portray Orthodox Jews as Spurs fans. One showed a large group of Orthodox Jews with the caption “Shite Hart Lane will be a sellout this season with half price season tickets”. (This is going to be a thread). pic.twitter.com/flngXoF6iV
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
You can deny it all you like but I, as a Jew, take that to mean that Jews are cheap and stingy. Half price? Count me in. Big queues for season tickets at Spurs! And I’m sure we know where comments about Jews and money lead us #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
But moving on from that, it turns out is problematic to refer to Spurs fans as Jews. Or Jews as Spurs fans. Let me take you back to Plymouth at home in 2005. Someone behind us chanting “Hitler was a cockney”. We object – leads to physical threats. “Fuck off to Tottenham”. #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
So where that kind of talk gets us is SOME West Ham fans singing about foreskins and Auschwitz and making hissing noises during Spurs games. Because, after all, it’s just banter. Spurs are Jews. And the Jews … were gassed. Which is banter. Why can’t you take a joke? #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
Before the recent Spurs league game a member of a prominent West Ham podcast posted a pic of Orthodox Jews, portraying them as Spurs fans. I challenged him. Was told it was just banter #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
But here’s the problem: West Ham fans hate Tottenham fans. That’s fine – it’s the big rivalry. Nothing wrong with a bit of spice. Believe it or not, I know how fandom works. But if you are using your platform to portray Spurs fans as Jews, you are asking for trouble #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
I hate Spurs … and I hate Spurs fans … and Spurs fans are Jews … and Jews are Spurs fans … so … am I also meant to hate Jews? Eh? What do you mean some Jews also support West Ham? #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
Then the Jewish West Ham fan turns around and says, er, I find all this hissing a teeny bit isolating and uncomfortable. But it’s just banter. Fuck off to Spurs. Because your type will be more comfortable there #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
So it matters if someone on the Official Supporters’ Board is carrying those images. It matters if this is who’s seen to represent fans of a Premier League club. Did nobody at West Ham think to check before the board was formed? Was there any due diligence? #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
Remember that the OSB contains a representative, Greg Smith, who has expressed support for the DFLA. West Ham say people were elected by an independent panel. Fair enough. But did the club do any background checks? No power of veto? #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
West Ham fans vs Jacob Steinberg
Here’s a selection of what’s been happening since.
According to these fools, antisemitism and homophobia is nothing more than good old-fashioned banter. I am not the problem at West Ham and you are not going to bully me into silence #whufc https://t.co/Jcs8gNOrqE
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 3, 2019
Nicky is upset because, following the abuse from @westhamfantv yesterday, I haven’t jumped at the chance to go on his show for a fun debate. Imagine! How could anyone turn him down? https://t.co/jZzgOv90TI
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
And I know Jacob is a very well respected journalist, and also a member of the Jewish faith , and yes he should be offended, but that does not give him the right to decide wether or not something is anti semetic.
— Nicky Hawkins (@nickyj82) February 4, 2019
Because you entered this debate unprovoked to attack me via your other account; to label antisemitism and homophobia as banter. And even now you don’t see the issue with lecturing minorities.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
If it’s not just banter, if it is offensive, where does that leave us? Probably with you needing to apologise.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
Er, your very first post, which you’ve deleted, called it banter.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 4, 2019
Haha – the only way to prove courage is by debating someone of your intellect? It’s the logic of an idiot. What do you want me to debate? Whether an antisemitic picture is antisemitic? Instead of begging me to educate you, educate yourself. Read a book, you might like it.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 5, 2019
Typical Jew, only cares about money. https://t.co/k8dvtnkaEO
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 5, 2019
Get the Jews out the club! https://t.co/SSR57DFH3M
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
Jew wants bonus. https://t.co/7PIAMUqL3X
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
Stop mentioning bonuses all the time then. Stop attacking a Jewish journalist for exposing racism. Pretty simple, a bit like you.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
The Jew must support Tottenham. Otherwise only cares about money. https://t.co/pkLHpY21yx
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
He doesn’t have to mention it explicitly. His contention is I’m not “real West Ham”, unlike him, whatever that means. Accusing a Jewish journalist of only caring about money puts him on very dodgy ground, especially when the row started over me reporting on antisemitism claims.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
But the effect was antisemitic. The message was antisemitic. In fact, the caption was antisemitic. The photo was antisemitic. That doesn’t make him an antisemite. It does mean someone on the Official Supporters’ Board endorsed something antisemitic. So he resigned.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 6, 2019
Also see: Video of a West Ham fan screaming ‘f****** Muslim ****’ at Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp under threat of FA punishment after West Ham.
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