Belgian police are investigating a group of soccer fans who sang violently antisemitic songs following a match against a rival team.
Dozens of supporters of the Antwerp-based Beerschot football club were caught on video singing in a cafe following their team’s 7-0 thrashing by top Brussels side Anderlecht on Monday night.
Also heard was another Dutch import mocking the Holocaust, as the fans sang, “Dad was in the Gestapo, Mom was in the SS, Together they burned Jews, Because Jews burn best — Sieg Heil!”
"My father was in the commandos, my mother was in the SS,
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) December 31, 2021
Together they burned Jews cause Jews burn the best.”
and
“Hamas, Hamas - Jews to the Gas”
were gleefully sang by Belgian soccer fans (Beerschot) while they threw up Nazi salutes.
(Video 1) pic.twitter.com/vwXU4M8zfT
According to the Belgian news daily De Morgen, the Beerschot fans were joined by supporters of Dutch side FC Groningen as well as fellow Belgian side Club Brugge. The latter team found itself in the headlines earlier this week when it was sanctioned by the Belgian Royal Football Association after its fans engaged in antisemitic chanting during a recent match against Anderlecht.
The vice-chairman of Beerschot roundly condemned the behavior of the fans. The club “dissociates itself completely from these chants,” Walter Damen said. “Beerschot emphasizes that there is no room for racist statements in or outside the stadium. We also wish to make it clear to the Jewish population that there is no place for such hooligans.”
Antisemitic behavior by Beerschot fans has been a growing problem over the last year, frequently discussed at meetings of the city council in Antwerp — home to a community of 25,000 predominantly Orthodox Jews.
In Nov. 2020, A Beerschot supporter was sentenced to 50 hours of community service for posting antisemitic messages and songs on Facebook. The same individual was also cited for having proffered a Nazi salute during a match between Beerschot and Eupen.