On Wednesday, October 25th, the Lazio football team wore Anne Frank shirts in response to an anti-semitic act conducted by Lazio ‘ultra fans’.
During a winning home football match against Cagliari, the south side of the Lazio football stadium was desecrated with antisemitic graffiti, as well as stickers of Anne Frank photoshopped into the outfit of the opponent team. This was the result of not the opposing team, but rather the Lazio “ultra fans”. Lazio ultra fans (who usually have their own section of the stadium), were expelled from the north section of the stadium after racist comments were made against a football player named Sassuolo during October 1st. ( http://www.goal.com/en/news/lazio-condemn-fans-anti-semitic-graffiti-in-stadio-olimpico/1g9pf0551tol41fjvos920m556) After the anti-semitic stickers/graffiti were discovered, Lazio did the bravest thing they could by responding to this act.
Anne Frank was only fifteen-years-old when her and her family were discovered hiding in Amsterdam, Germany after attempting to run from the Nazis during World War II. They were sent to the concentration camps. Anne and her sister, Margot were split from their parents, and sent to Bergen-Belsen where they died due to their illnesses. (https://www.biography.com/people/anne-frank-9300892). Today, Anne’s legacy lives on through several Jewish museums, the Anne Frank House, as well as her diary.
On the shirts the team wore was a picture of Anne Frank. Printed on each shirt was a message for fans, and the general public that anti-semitism was not allowed. To make the message even more powerful, the team decided to read a passage of Anne Frank’s diary before the game. The passage written by the young, Jewish teen read, “I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness. I hear the approaching that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more”. ( http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/lazio-serie-a-anne-frank-diary-pictures-shirts-roma-auschwitz-holocaust-a8017626.html) What was supposed to a message of ridding away anti-semitism and racism, turned into rebellion and further negative representation of the Lazio fans.
While the football team was attempting to bring peace, the “ultra fans” protested by turning their backs during the reading, and singing the Italian national anthem. To make the situation even more disturbing, a small group of the “super ultras” gathered outside of the stadium during the game, singing fascist songs and making fascist solutes. Rick Noack from the Washington Post stated , “For the most part, Lazio’s ultra fan club has shown little remorse for the whole affair. It urged its supporters to refrain from attending Wednesday’s match and stood by the anti-semitic stickers”. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/anne-franks-diary-was-read-in-italian-stadiums-some-fans-turned-their-backs-and-sang-in-protest/?utm_term=.69932b703247)
Although the overall message was defeated by several bad eggs, the Lazio team has refused to given up on ending anti-semitism and racism.
To assist fans in getting a better perspective of the dangers in anti-semitic and racist chants, the team has organized a yearly trip to the Holocaust museum, giving team members and fans an up close and personal journey through the horrors of the Holocaust experienced by millions of Jews, as well as other religions, those with different sexualities, and belonging to different races. While they are still in the process of organizing the trip, the team is putting in every ounce of effort to ridicule hatred against the players, as well as the fans. (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/25/football/lazio-anne-frank-antisemitism-football-serie-a/index.html)
According to nydailynews.com, these acts of hatred are common during games in Europe, but the uncontrollable amount of animosity has caused the football teams to have their matches in private, rather than being able to share the excitement and camaraderie with their fans. The author further explains, “Racism has been widespread for years in many Italian and European stadiums- targeting both players and fans- and measures such as banning fans and forcing teams to play behind closed doors have not solved the problem”. (http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/sports/police-identity-20-lazio-fans-put-anti-semitic-images-article-1.3592919)
As of right now, the police were able to identity the twenty “ultra fans” that scattered the stickers and spray painted the south side of the Lazio stadium. Some of the fans were underage. If found guilty, these fans could face over four years in prison. (http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/sports/police-identity-20-lazio-fans-put-anti-semitic-images-article-1.3592919)
There’s no way in telling whether in the future more “ultra fans” will commit acts of racism and anti-semitism on football stadiums, but one thing is for sure, the Lazio team members are heroes for recognizing the wrongfulness of these strong loathing acts, and kicking racism and anti-semitism out of the stadiums.