(JTA) — The Dutch Supreme Court upheld a ruling that a soccer stadium chant is offensive to Jews.
A supporter of The Hague soccer team ADO had appealed a lower court verdict that the chant "Hamas, Hamas, gas all the Jews," for which he was arrested in 2006 and charged with using language offensive to a particular group, was not deliberately intended to offend Jews.
On Tuesday, the high court ruled that the chant is punishable by law because it is insulting to Jews, Dutch media reported.
The supporter had been sentenced to 800 hours of community service and two years probation.
The opposing team, Ajax of Amsterdam, and their supporters often are referred to as Jews because prior to World War II the city had a large Jewish population and the team had many Jewish fans.
The chant has been banned in soccer stadiums.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
