‘It’s beyond belief’ – charges dropped over West Ham fans’ antisemitic song
Officials now say they cannot prove the lyric were chanted in British airspace, but the Campaign Against Antisemitism says it is 'exploring legal options'
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Campaigners have said it is “beyond belief” that prosecutors dropped hate charges against two suspects following a flight involving West Ham football fans where an antisemitic song was chanted.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the case against Lee Carey, 55, and 31-year-old Jak Bruce collapsed because it could not determine if their Ryanair flight was in British airspace when the alleged offences occurred.
Both men denied a public order offence.
Video of the footage, which went viral shortly after it was filmed last November, showed a strictly-Orthodox man walking down an aircraft aisle as other passengers chanted a song about arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur that referenced genitalia and circumcision.
The fans were flying to Belgium, where West Ham was due to face Genk in the Europa League.
But the CPS said it had concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to prove they were singing in British airspace.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it was now exploring legal options “to ensure that justice is done”.
It said in a statement: “This incident was caught on video that went viral, with plenty of witnesses on the plane, including Ryanair cabin crew.
“It is beyond belief that sufficient evidence cannot be amassed to establish jurisdiction and that potential culprits are free to go without sanction.
“This is the third time in almost as many months that the CPS has dropped or reduced charges against suspects in high-profile antisemitic hate crime incidents, and members of the Jewish community are writing to us in indignation.”
West Ham United said it would issue an indefinite ban to any fan that was involved. It is unclear if Carey and Bruce have been sanctioned in this way.
A CPS spokesperson said: “Following a careful review of all the available evidence, we concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove that the alleged offences took place in British airspace and therefore within remit of our courts.
“The CPS takes racism, homophobia, and antisemitism in sport extremely seriously because of the devasting impact it has on victims and wider society. Where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest, we will prosecute these cases.”
West Ham has been approached for comment.
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