Police are investigating a report of a hate crime during a football match involving Britain’s largest Jewish school in a national tournament.
JFS is a Jewish comprehensive secondary school based in north London.
The alleged incident occurred during an away quarter-final match in the English Schools’ under-15 competition against Thorpe St Andrew School, based in Norwich. The JFS players were reportedly subjected to abusive chants from the opposition team’s spectators.
A mother of one of the boys, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said: “It’s very disappointing. All the boys were excited as it was the first time JFS had reached the quarter-final.
“When they arrived and started warming up, the chants from the spectators began. They were shouting ‘Jews, Jews’ and using the term ‘yids’.
“What’s the problem with being a Jew? Why is it derogatory?
“They continued throughout the game, saying things like ‘go back to the gas chambers’, ‘dirty Jew’, and ‘Zionist’. It’s upsetting and has a long-term negative impact. Some of the boys were very distressed afterwards—sad, hurt, angry, and even ashamed to be Jewish.”
She added that one of the JFS boys, who is mixed-race, was targeted with the racial slur “N-word Jew”.
Messages shared by the boys described feeling “threatened”, “really disappointed”, and “upset”. One said: “Hearing those comments was hurtful and embarrassing, making what should have been an enjoyable experience very difficult.”
Another said: “We were trying to warm up but couldn’t concentrate because of the antisemitism. The whole game we were distracted and it affected our performance.”
Thorpe St Andrew School won 4-1, eliminating JFS from the competition.
Norfolk Police confirmed they received a report of a hate crime on Friday morning. A spokesperson said: “The incident occurred during a football match on Thursday 5 March at Laundry Lane, Thorpe St Andrew, where antisemitic chants were heard from spectators. Enquiries are ongoing.”
The English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) is also investigating. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to comment further,” they said.
Thorpe St Andrew School’s safeguarding lead and deputy principal stated they “take all matters relating to discrimination, including antisemitic abuse, very seriously.” They are investigating the incident and liaising with Dr David Moody, headteacher of JFS.
A spokesperson for the academy trust overseeing Thorpe St Andrew said: “Antisemitic behaviour of any kind is completely unacceptable and goes against our school’s values. We are taking this extremely seriously and have launched a full investigation. We work hard to create a culture of respect and will take action where necessary.”
Dr Moody told parents that JFS will collect statements from all involved before contacting Thorpe St Andrew and ESFA. “The team has made the school proud by reaching this stage of the competition and should never have had to endure this abuse,” he said.
