So I Wrote To Peter Herbert

Good evening.

I read this article run in the Guardian written by Peter Honkyslayer Herbert and my first thought was to blog an open letter to him. But just about all I wanted to say had been said on here. And in the some 150 plus comments that responded to him on the paper’s website at the footer of his piece.

So I got his email from his website and sent a request to interview him. The email bounced back a day later with the message, ‘The recipient server did not accept our requests…’

What I wanted to address with Mr Herbert specifically one particular wild assertion (of many) that he made.

The link between the appalling incidents in Rome and the “Y” word chanting is obvious. The chanting of the word simply legitimises antisemitic abuse by other fans.

The abysmal truth is not as simple and as cartoon like you imply Mr Herbert. It is grim, bloody and revolting. Football fans were drinking the night before a game in a civilised manner. The patrons of the bar they were in were not exclusively football fans. The Drunken Ship is situated in a popular area attracting tourists and locals alike.

Prior to the attack neither the owner or the staff had cause for complaint, no unruly behaviour reported.

What happened next was an unquestionably premeditated, well organised and quite sinister an attack on people who were guilty of no more than ‘having a beer’.

The men that stormed The Drunken Ship bar were armed to the teeth. Baseball bats, sticks and knives. They were wearing helmets and had scarves wrapped about their faces to partially obscure their identity and were pumped up to do physical harm to those in the bar.

The result of the attack hospitalised several people. It seems safe to say at this stage that at least a couple will carry the physical scars of that night for the rest of their lives.

You say the link is obvious yet crucially fail to explain how so. I want you to explain to me how the use of the Y word, in the context of ownership, identity and pride is responsible for a men being scarred for life?

You also mention Mr Baddiel in your piece. I heard him interviewed when he launched his ‘Y Word’ campaign some time ago. He said that was specifically inspired by an incident at Stamford Bridge where a man in the Chelsea end sat behind Mr Baddiel stood up and violently screamed, ‘F___ off you Yid C___!’ towards the Tottenham supporters.

What both these incidents establish beyond any doubt is that the problem is racist scum are frequently incapable of controlling themselves.

It is no great extension of your logic that those seeking align themselves with anything racists don’t like ought to try to ‘blend in’ and not provoke trouble. I read about people being asked to ‘blend in’ during the 1940’s. My grandfather’s response was to repeatedly drop bombs on the ones doing the asking and thanks to his efforts and millions of like minded others that ‘blending in’ idea was cancelled. 

You have been accused relentlessly of being a self publicist. You have been widely perceived as a conspiracy theorist. Your email doesn’t work and judging by the pictures on your typo ridden website you only own one suit and one sports jacket. I would suggest to you that while you might have decent ideals at heart, all people are seeing is a man desperately looking for a career springboard but you cannot see that this is not it, Mr Herbert.

A CCTV image football fan singing racist songs on a train was published today in the Evening Standard. Another football fan has been identified from a picture taken a game this weekend of posturing like a monkey towards a black player. The investigation into fans singing about Hitler on Sunday continues. 

What is tragic is that whilst it would be unfair to assert that football is inherently racist it absolutely does have a racist element that nevertheless need urgently tackling. But you seem woefully incapable of spotting the bad guys.