Sky News deletes footage of racist chants by Israeli fans ahead of Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv match

British media outlet Sky News has deleted footage from its social media accounts showing Israeli fans chanting racist slogans before the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, sparking accusations of censorship.

The footage, originally shared with the caption, “Israeli fans tearing Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Arab racist slogans,” was quickly removed without an explanation, prompting backlash from critics. Some accused the British news channel of self-censorship.

Jewish investigative journalist Asa Winstanley commented on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “The video explains the truth about the Israeli football hooligans who went on a racist rampage in the city this week.”

Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, also questioned the removal, asking why Sky News deleted its segment on the racism and anti-Arab chants by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

Breaking: @SkyNews just deleted this video by their Amsterdam correspondent @AlicePorterTV posted to Twitter, without public explanation. I saved a copy.

The video explains the truth about the Israeli football hooligans who went on a racist rampage in the city this week. Watch: pic.twitter.com/saVATm74FO

— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) November 9, 2024

Disturbances before and during the match

The disturbances began before the November 7 match when Israeli fans attacked Palestinian supporters and continued to provoke incidents throughout the day. Fans were reported to have chanted anti-Arab slogans, including a particularly inflammatory line: “There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left in Gaza.”

During a minute of silence for victims of the floods in Spain, the chanting persisted.

The unrest led to 62 arrests before and after the match, as tensions around the stadium and in the streets escalated.

Sky News has not provided an official comment on the removal of the footage, leaving many to speculate about the reasons behind the decision.