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East End Racist Chants - Wtf?

Martyn Hocking

By Martyn Hocking
in Football Chat

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Martyn Hocking

Martyn Hocking

Posted
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Surprised to see Dave Lloyd highlighting in his new blog that there was racist chanting in the East End on Saturday directed at Leicester fans. I haven't seen it commented on here since the game, and wasn't at AG on Saturday, so have no idea what was being sung/chanted or how obvious it was to people in the rest of the ground.

However, the fact that Dave could clearly hear it (and I assume he is somewhere around the halfway line during the game) suggests it was not the action of one or two people but was something involving a significant number of people.

Can anyone who was at the game provide some details on this - I would have thought we had left this sort of garbage behind us in the 70s?

I am only guessing here but was the chanting something moronic about Leicester having a large asian population?

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CotswoldRed

CotswoldRed

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References to a smorgasboard of curry items.

In all honesty the songs were more observational humour than anti-asian etc. Maybe the passport song could be construed as slightly anti-immigration.

No anti Sheffield songs this weekend please. That would be racist against northerners.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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Chants of small town in asia etc - nothing racist.

Disagree completely Riaz. You may not find them offensive but plenty of people can and do.

"Small town in Asia" is clearly aimed to mock the Asian population of Leicester.

Chants of "Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land" are clearly implying that Asian people aren't English and that somehow being white makes you more English than Asian people.

According to Leicester forums there were also chants of "where's your popadom" - which goes without saying.

I know not everyone gets offended by it but plenty of people do. A lot of Asian fans of both clubs could have heard that and felt unwelcome. Those chants were aimed to mock/insult otherwise they wouldn't have been sung and I know enough people who would have been pretty upset to hear them had they been there. Are we really trying to make people feel unwelcome here!?! I hope not.

Finally, to those of us like myself who love to wave the England flag - it's THOSE chants of "Eng-er-land" that make it difficult for us to wave the flag or celebrate St George's day. Don't go blaming "the PC brigade" for it - it's precisely those people who link the flag and the word "England" to being white and exclusive of Asian (or black) who are to blame.

So if you want to chant "Eng-er-land" at Leicester fans to imply white people are English and then turn round in upset at the fact that people fear the chant or the flag then you only have yourself to blame.

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NickJ

NickJ

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From the Dolman I didnt hear any racist singing.

Leicester fans sang "Small Town in Wales" but does any City fan feel offended by that?

Bit like if City had sang "Small Town in Asia", I doubt very much if any Leicester fan would consider it racist, just geographically challenged.

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Melksham Red

Melksham Red

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I did not hear any racist chanting. Although I did hear some banter aimed at the Leicester fans which was tongue in cheek and IMO was milked to death and got boring very quickly .

To describe that as racist chanting is typical of the over sensitve society we live in, Lets use some common sense.

There were far more offensive chants sang towards the Leicester lot on Saturday than:

'Where's your poppadom'

Come on get real!

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CotswoldRed

CotswoldRed

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"Small town in Asia" is clearly aimed to mock the Asian population of Leicester.

I don't agree. I think its purely saying you've got a significant number of immigrants in your town. More than we have, so we'll wind you up about it.

It mocks the white majority.

Slightly distasteful perhaps.

Careful all - I'll give this thread 10 mins before its locked.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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No different to..small town in Wales!

YES IT IS!

Welsh people don't have marches in their home cities by violent groups of the EDL. Welsh people don't have the level of race (in a serious context) thrown at them to anywhere near the level that Asian people can do. I can't imagine many Welsh people find football ground intimidating to come to due to their nationality.

Small Town in Wales doesn't (seriously) imply that City fans aren't English where as some of those chants did.

Please take 2 minutes to consider yourself an Asian fan sat in either end on Saturday and hearing those chants. Would that make you feel comfortable? Would it make you feel welcome and part of the other 14,000ish people? Would you feel it fair for it to be implied that you aren't English? Sure some people may laugh it off but if you get stick during the week for being Asian and are then subjected to that while just trying to watch your team play football then I can see why some would get offended by it.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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I don't agree. I think its purely saying you've got a significant number of immigrants in your town. More than we have, so we'll wind you up about it.

Exactly - winding people up about such a sensitive subject is wrong. And clearly it doesn't mock the white majority, it's aimed at Leicester fans and football chants are very rarely self-depricating. They're mostly about getting one over on the other fans.

"Small town in Asia" is used to suggest we're somehow better than a town with Asian immigrants.

Personally, I'd rather go to football to spend time with my mates and watch the football - not discuss immigration.

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CotswoldRed

CotswoldRed

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"Small town in Asia" is used to suggest we're somehow better than a town with Asian immigrants.

Possibly. Or we're just different. Difference is fundamental to many football chants.

Would you suggest its ok to mock the Sheffield fans this weekend with northerner jibes? I'm genuinely interested. Personally I can't see the difference between mocking regional or national difference.

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Riaz

Riaz

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Disagree completely Riaz. You may not find them offensive but plenty of people can and do.

"Small town in Asia" is clearly aimed to mock the Asian population of Leicester.

Chants of "Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land" are clearly implying that Asian people aren't English and that somehow being white makes you more English than Asian people.

According to Leicester forums there were also chants of "where's your popadom" - which goes without saying.

I know not everyone gets offended by it but plenty of people do. A lot of Asian fans of both clubs could have heard that and felt unwelcome. Those chants were aimed to mock/insult otherwise they wouldn't have been sung and I know enough people who would have been pretty upset to hear them had they been there. Are we really trying to make people feel unwelcome here!?! I hope not.

Finally, to those of us like myself who love to wave the England flag - it's THOSE chants of "Eng-er-land" that make it difficult for us to wave the flag or celebrate St George's day. Don't go blaming "the PC brigade" for it - it's precisely those people who link the flag and the word "England" to being white and exclusive of Asian (or black) who are to blame.

So if you want to chant "Eng-er-land" at Leicester fans to imply white people are English and then turn round in upset at the fact that people fear the chant or the flag then you only have yourself to blame.

I am asian - and I was'nt remotely offended.

The "England" chant does not refer to colour - We we're saying that leicester is like another country, hence the england chant.

People who get offended by saturday's chant WANT to be offended.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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No anti Sheffield songs this weekend please. That would be racist against northerners.

Yes because Northerners have the EDL marching on their doorsteps and the BNP demanding that all Northerners from the south get deported north of Nottingham don't they? Completely the same thing. I see no difference at all.

Answer me - would you be happy for City fans to throw bananas next time we play Palace? Or chant "small town in Africa" to their fans? or perhaps "Eng-er-land" at them in reference to black populations not REALLY being English. Light banter after all isn't it? Hey, south London has a lot of black people and Asians - so why not go for both? I mean race is really a topic I'd love to be covered in the delicate nature that is thousands of football fans chanting.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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Possibly. Or we're just different. Difference is fundamental to many football chants.

Would you suggest its ok to mock the Sheffield fans this weekend with northerner jibes? I'm genuinely interested. Personally I can't see the difference between mocking regional or national difference.

CotswoldRed - life isn't that simple and there aren't always clear lines. This is a subtle line and in context yes I think it is very different because chants of "Eng-er-land" questions the patriotism and nationality of our own people simply because their family once came from Asia and because they look different. See my post re: Palace game.

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slartibartfast

slartibartfast

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YES IT IS!

Welsh people don't have marches in their home cities by violent groups of the EDL. Welsh people don't have the level of race (in a serious context) thrown at them to anywhere near the level that Asian people can do. I can't imagine many Welsh people find football ground intimidating to come to due to their nationality.

Small Town in Wales doesn't (seriously) imply that City fans aren't English where as some of those chants did.

Please take 2 minutes to consider yourself an Asian fan sat in either end on Saturday and hearing those chants. Would that make you feel comfortable? Would it make you feel welcome and part of the other 14,000ish people? Would you feel it fair for it to be implied that you aren't English? Sure some people may laugh it off but if you get stick during the week for being Asian and are then subjected to that while just trying to watch your team play football then I can see why some would get offended by it.

Please don't give me a lecture on racism, I was a card carrying member of the Labour party (for my sins) with all that that implies. I'm just saying that the chant is nothing like as bad as say, "you **** basrsteward".

Are you suggesting there is something wrong with being (apert from an appauling lack of geographical knowledge) a small town in Asia (or Wales, for that matter)?.

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CotswoldRed

CotswoldRed

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Yes because Northerners have the EDL marching on their doorsteps and the BNP demanding that all Northerners from the south get deported north of Nottingham don't they? Completely the same thing. I see no difference at all.

Answer me - would you be happy for City fans to throw bananas next time we play Palace? Or chant "small town in Africa" to their fans? or perhaps "Eng-er-land" at them in reference to black populations not REALLY being English. Light banter after all isn't it? Hey, south London has a lot of black people and Asians - so why not go for both? I mean race is really a topic I'd love to be covered in the delicate nature that is thousands of football fans chanting.

Your bananas reference isn't really fair/comparable. There are pure racist connotations with that, obviously.

Small town in Africa would be no different, though would be a mouthful to fit in the song.

If you think mocking northern fans for being northern is wrong then you've picked the wrong sport to follow imho.

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Melksham Red

Melksham Red

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Please take 2 minutes to consider yourself an Asian fan sat in either end on Saturday and hearing those chants. Would that make you feel comfortable? Would it make you feel welcome and part of the other 14,000ish people? Would you feel it fair for it to be implied that you aren't English? Sure some people may laugh it off but if you get stick during the week for being Asian and are then subjected to that while just trying to watch your team play football then I can see why some would get offended by it.

Over sensitve crud.

So where do you draw the line?

When people chant 'you fat bastard' are suggesting this is out of order because all the fans in the ground that are over weight are deeply offended? Get real.

Maybe we should all link hands and sing a ring a ring of roses then we'll know for sure no one is offended.

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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I am asian - and I was'nt remotely offended.

The "England" chant does not refer to colour - We we're saying that leicester is like another country, hence the england chant.

People who get offended by saturday's chant WANT to be offended.

Riaz, why should the people of Leicester be made to feel (possibly embarrassed) by the fact that their town has a lot of Asians in it. It's implied if not explicit.

I know from previous threads you wouldn't get offended by it but plenty of people could. I know one mate who read a similar thread on here ages back and said he'd have walked out at that point had he been at the game.

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Riaz

Riaz

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Riaz, why should the people of Leicester be made to feel (possibly embarrassed) by the fact that their town has a lot of Asians in it. It's implied if not explicit

Ah now you see YOU are the racist. Why do you think that its embarassing that there are lots of asians in Leicester????????????????

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Guest AJ Sylvester

Guest AJ Sylvester

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Your bananas reference isn't really fair/comparable. There are pure racist connotations with that, obviously.

Small town in Africa would be no different, though would be a mouthful to fit in the song.

If you think mocking northern fans for being northern is wrong then you've picked the wrong sport to follow imho.

I'm saying the northern chants are different because they're not so sensitive.

I'm not saying all the fans who joined the chants on Saturday are racist or thought they were. I'm saying that they can be construed that way and people should be aware of that fact. It's nothing to do with football so leave it at home, please.

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