Muslim player gets ovation amidst racist Israeli chants (nationalist, racism, boycott)
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"La Familia" was created in 2005, and it quickly became the team's loudest and most visible supporters. The fans routinely wave huge flags of the outlawed racist Kach party and chant racist slogans toward Arab players.
Their behavior has drawn a cascade of condemnations from Israel's president on down.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday with a call for fans to reject racism.
"The last thing we want, and which we absolutely reject is violence, racism and boycotts. These are unacceptable to us. I say this in regards to a team that I have supported for years, Beitar Jerusalem," Netanyahu said. "Lately, we have seen displays of extremism that we find unacceptable. These must be uprooted from the public sphere and, of course, from the world of sports."
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The team has historically been strongly aligned with Israel's nationalist right wing and its name, Beitar, comes from the Zionist youth movement that is linked to the ruling Likud Party.
The team and its fans have since been a steady source of support for Likud politics and a string of politicians have served as team chairman. Prime ministers with Likud roots -- from Ariel Sharon to Ehud Olmert to Netanyahu -- have called themselves fans and made pilgrimages to the club's Teddy Stadium.
Norcross, GA is fantastically diverse. Have you ever been here?
The dozen or so times a month I fly through Atlanta is enough for me. BTW you know better to blame and to hold accountable the entire state by what is done by a few people.
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