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World Jewish News
Anti-Semites Convicted in Russia
26.12.2008
The Informational-Analytical Agency "Owl" reports that the Solntsevo District Court passed judgement on three young soccer fans, aged 21 to 27, which had initiated an anti-Semitic escapade on a soccer match in the Moscow area in April, 2007. The young men were convicted according to Part 1 of Article 282 of the RF Criminal Code.
The court sentenced one of the accused, a 27 year old who had been previously convicted twice, to 1 year of probation, while the other two were put on six-month probations each.
None of the accused plead guilty. One of the accused said they "were just making fun of the team." That's why they drew a smiley face in the corner of their banner.
President of the "Maccabi" club of Moscow, President of the Interethnic Soccer League, Pavel Feldblum stated that "the main achievement of this lawsuit was the creation of a precedent. This is the first time brazen fans have really been convicted, an Article of the Penal Code had been utilized. This means that the authors of insulting slogans will have to think twice before shouting them from the benches or writing them on banners."
It was on the 25th of April, 2007, that fans of the "Alliance" soccer club initiated an anti-Semitic escapade during its match with the "Maccabi" soccer club in Vnukovo.
According to Paul Feldblum, the "Alliance" fans "turned the second half of the match into a real Neo-Nazi meeting." For 45 minutes straight they chanted anti-Semitic slogans like "Auschwitz is the best kind of camp for you," and unfurled a banner they prepared beforehand, which read "Happy Holocaust." The faces of these fans were covered with gauze masks.
What made the president of the "Maccabi" most indignant, was that at the end of the match, which "Alliance" had won, they thanked their fans for the support.
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