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Racist video of Chelsea fans provokes online outrage

Sofia Diogo MateusFebruary 18, 2015

A video of Chelsea supporters preventing a black man from entering the Paris Metro and then singing a racist hymn has created outrage on social media, with #ChelseaRacists being used to shame the perpetrators.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EdnF
Alltagsrassismus und britischen Fußballfans - Chelsea EINSCHRÄNKUNG
Image: Guardian

On Tuesday night a group of supporters of the British football club Chelsea FC was caught on film pushing a black man out of the Paris Metro, as they chanted "we're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it."

The video, obtained and shared by The Guardian, has sparked outrage on social media, with users posting screen shots from the video and asking people to "name and shame" the men appearing in it, while others pointed out that many of the team's stars are in fact black. The hashtag #ChelseaRacists has been the country's top trend during the day and has been tweeted over 3,500 times, according to Topsy.

The club condemned the actions saying the behaviour was "abhorrent and has no place in football or society," adding that they would cooperate with the police and consider banning those involved. The actions have been also condemned by FIFA's president, Joseph Blatter, and Gary Lineker, considered one the best British football players of all time.

British police and French prosecutors are investigating the incident.