Spurs Against the Nazis

Spurs Against the Nazis was a campaign and association created in the late 1970s by fans of Tottenham Hotspur aligned with the Anti-Nazi League.[1] They are credited with having banned racism at White Hart Lane.[2]

It was the first Football Fans Against the Nazis group,[3] and they were aligned with the Anti-Nazi League,[1] Rock Against Racism, and many other initiatives against the rise of the National Front and the skinheads in Britain in the late 1970s.[4]

Other Football Fans Against the Nazis were created by supporters of Sheffield Wednesday,[3] Leyton Orient,[1] West Bromwich Albion, Swansea, Oxford, Barnsley, Coventry, Everton, Norwich and Arsenal.[3]

History

The first Spurs Against the Nazis meeting was attended by 60 people, and they received support by The Hornsey Journal.[3] Black and foreign players such as Garth Crooks and Chris Hughton,[2] or Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa were celebrated,[3] and they organised amateur football matches with up to 44 teams, and celebrities such as Peter Cook and Bill Oddie as referees.[3][5]

In 1979, the club threatened to sue the group because of their use of the club's crest, logo and name.[1] Their equivalent in Leyton, Orient against the Nazis, were banned by their own club after clashes against West Ham supporters aligned with the British Movement.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kassimeris, Christos (2008). European football in black and white: tackling racism in football. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-0739119594.
  2. 1 2 Brenner, Michael; Reuveni, Gideon (1 January 2006). Emancipation Through Muscles: Jews and Sports in Europe. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-0542-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Renton, Dave (2019). Never again: Rock against racism and the anti-nazi league 1976-1982. Abingdon, Oxon New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1138502710.
  4. ↑ Whannel, Garry (2008). Culture, politics and sport: blowing the whistle, revisited. New York, NY London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415417075.
  5. ↑ J. Draper (22 September 2025). "min. 19.55". How We Beat The Fascists Last Time: The London History Show. Retrieved 25 September 2025 – via YouTube.
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