Chelsea are the first Premier League club to publicly condemn anti-Semitism following the Hamas attacks

Chelsea have been campaigning against anti-Semitism since Roman Abramovich was the club's owner. Photo: Getty Images/Chris Lee

Chelsea became the first Premier League club to publicly condemn anti-Semitism following Hamas attacks on Israel this week.

The Premier League was criticized for its «ambiguous» response Israeli professional football leagues. expressing their shock and disappointment that the British body did not classify the attacks as terrorism.

Tottenham made no specific reference to the Hamas attack when they broke their silence on Thursday, and neither club mentioned anti-Semitism until Chelsea released their statement.

“Chelsea Football Club is extremely saddened by the huge loss of life caused by the attacks on Israel last weekend. We stand with the Jewish community in London and around the world in the face of the rising tide of antisemitism that we have long campaigned against,” their statement said. “We will join our fellow Premier League clubs in remembering all the innocent lives lost in Israel and the Gaza Strip in recent days at Stamford Bridge as we play Arsenal.

Chelsea has been campaigning against anti-Semitism ever since. when Roman Abramovich was the owner of the club. This included a preseason match against the New England Revolution in 2019, with proceeds going to the World Jewish Congress, Tree of Life Synagogue, the Anti-Defamation League and the Holocaust Educational Foundation. And to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a giant mural was painted on the side of Stamford Bridge.

A belated response to atrocities in Israel and the Gaza Strip has led to the Football Association being criticized for failing to provide assistance. Move quickly as the Wembley Arch was not illuminated in Israel's colors during the friendly against Australia on Friday night.

Spurs' announcement, meanwhile, led to the resignation of their charity chairman. “I simply do not understand that those who drafted and signed the club statement had any moral compass, given the savage massacre of Jews by Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organization,” wrote Jonathan Adelman.