Anti-Semitic banner placed by Real Madrid fans goes unpunished by authorities

Spanish authorities have archived the investigation into a poster which was shown outside the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and then put up on a lamp pole outside the ground. The poster in question depicted Jewish child Anne Frank, who was murdered by Nazi forces during World War 2, with the caption ‘Anne Frank is an Atleti fan’.

The incident occurred outside the stadium ahead of a Madrid derby, shortly after a racist mannequin had been hung from a bridge depicting Vinicius Junior. El Confidencial attribute the anti-semitic poster to ‘Ultras Sur’, a rival hooligan group to ‘Frente Atletico’ which have been banned from Bernabeu, but continue to frequent the surrounding area ahead of stadiums and travel to away grounds. They are often responsible for promoting Nazi ideology and singing fascist songs.

The anti-semitic banner was posted on social media and a case was opened, but closed two months later, without arrests. It has provisionally archived so that investigation period does not expire, according to the Madrid-based paper, as they await a response from Twitter.

After tracking the account, the police were able to geolocate the phone, but given the number of phones on the street at the time, unable to pinpoint individuals involved.

The authorities say they will request details from Twitter about the user that posted the picture, but have not yet done so, despite the fact four months have passed since the incident.

Spanish authorities have shown they can act quickly when prompted, making four arrests shortly after a recent incident of racism towards Vinicius Junior, but this slow prosecution of discrimination has drawn plenty of criticism from international media in recent days, and it looks as if that will be the case in this instance of anti-semitism.