UK police on Friday said they had launched a hate crimes investigation after Jewish teenagers were pelted with antisemitic abuse during a school soccer match where spectators shouted “Dirty Zionists,” “Dirty Jews,” and “Go back to the gas chambers.”
The students, who attend the London-based Jewish Free School (JFS), told UK media they felt “threatened,” “scared,” “ashamed,” and “really hurt” by the abuse hurled during the match that occurred Thursday, which included slurs against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the repeated chant of “Jews.”
One mixed-race boy said he was called an “N***** Jew” by the crowd at the Under-15s national tournament that was held at the Thorpe St Andrew School in the city of Norwich
One JFS student told the Daily Mail, “It’s hard to describe how much it hurt to hear those words, and it left me feeling disgraced and worried about what else might happen.”
Another student told the paper that “During the game, antisemitic abuse was directed at us, with people shouting things like ‘Jew’ and ‘Zionist’ and even telling us to go back to the gas chambers multiple times.”
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“Hearing that again and again made us feel ashamed, scared, and lacking in confidence, even though we knew it was wrong,” the teen said. “‘Instead of feeling proud for reaching such an important stage of the competition, we walked away feeling targeted and upset.”
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Yesterday (5 March) my son, who plays for the U15 football team at JFS School, took part in the national schools football quarterfinal in Norwich against Thorpe St Andrew School, organised by the English Schools’ Football Association.
— ????The Duchess ✡︎f Dalston ೃ⁀➷ ♡ ͎. ｡˚ (@9aCedarCourt) March 6, 2026
Parents reported the incident to the police and the English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) following the match, which has confirmed it is investigating the matter. They have asked the ESFA to disqualify Thorpe St Andrew and declare the game, which JFS lost 4-1, void, saying that the players were affected by racism.
The Jewish school wrote in a letter to parents that the behavior of spectators reported by parents was “unacceptable,” according to the Telegraph. It said in a statement, “The team has done the school extremely proud going so deep into the competition, and they should never have had to put up with the abuse that was thrown at them yesterday.”
Protesters attend a march against antisemitism in London, UK, December 8, 2024. (Campaign Against Antisemitism)
Norfolk police said it received reports of a “hate crime” involving “antisemitic chants” and that “inquiries are ongoing.” Meanwhile, a spokesman for the academy that includes the competing team said it had launched an investigation and would take any necessary action.
In a letter to concerned parents, Thorpe St Andrew School said it took “all matters relating to discrimination, including antisemitic comments and abuse, very seriously,” adding that it was in contact with JFS.
A mother — whose grandmother survived the Holocaust — told the Daily Mail she was “broken and heartbroken that my child needed to witness the [antisemitism] that my grandmother suffered 80 years ago in Latvia and lost all her family to.”
“What is so hurtful is that it was so public. It was shouted and chanted and was just everywhere. I don’t understand where the adults were to stop it from happening,” she continued. “My son just loves football; he just wanted to go out there and play. The team was so excited, because it was the first time they had reached the quarter finals – but it all went wrong.”
Antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom reached their second-highest level on record in 2025, according to a report released last month by the Community Security Trust.
The charity, which monitors antisemitism and provides security for British Jews, recorded 3,700 anti-Jewish hate incidents last year. That was 4% higher than the 3,556 incidents logged in 2024, but less than the record 4,298 incidents recorded in 2023 in the wake of the October 7 Hamas-led attack against Israel.
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