West Ham condemns anti‑Palestine chant

What's happened

West Ham has said it is aware that some travelling supporters sang an anti‑Palestine chant about new signing Manor Solomon during the 2-2 draw at Burnley. The club has appealed for supporters not to repeat the song ahead of its first home Championship match and stressed it will not tolerate discrimination at matches.

What's behind the headline?

What is happening

A section of West Ham away supporters has been recorded singing a chant that says "Manor Solomon's on my mind and he hates Palestine" during the 2-2 draw at Burnley. The club has responded publicly and is asking fans not to repeat the chant at the London Stadium this weekend.

Why this matters

• The chant singles out a player for his nationality and political stance and will increase tensions inside stadiums.
• West Ham is relegated and is facing an early-season atmosphere where fan behaviour will shape attendance and club reputation.
• Solomon has been the target of political protests and abuse at previous clubs, so stadium security and stewarding will now be under pressure to prevent repeat incidents.

Who will act and what will change

• West Ham has already appealed to its supporters and will be expected to increase stewarding and CCTV oversight at home matches.
• League and club disciplinary bodies will be watching; repeated incidents will force clubs to impose bans and to pursue formal sanctions.
• The episode will push supporters' groups and the club's diverse fanbase to clarify standards of acceptable behaviour and to police chants among travelling fans.

Likely short‑term outcomes

• The club will increase matchday messaging and steward presence for the Charlton match.
• If the chant recurs, West Ham will issue bans and hand evidence to policing or football authorities.

Longer‑term consequence

• This will increase scrutiny on how clubs manage politically charged chants and will make clubs enforce existing rules more proactively to protect safety and inclusion.

How we got here

Manor Solomon joined West Ham this month from Tottenham and scored on his debut at Turf Moor. Similar anti‑Palestine chants followed him at previous clubs, prompting Leeds and others to act. West Ham has invoked its long record of diversity while warning fans against divisive chants.

Our analysis

The New Arab published footage and reported the exact lyric, quoting West Ham saying the chant carried an "anti‑Palestine message" and noting Solomon's public support for Israel and prior fan reactions. The Times of Israel reproduced the club statement and added that the Israeli Hammers fan group "fully" supported the club's position while warning about online antisemitic abuse Solomon has received. The Guardian printed West Ham's full plea stressing the club's 131‑year history of inclusion and quoted manager Nuno Espírito Santo praising Solomon's debut. AP, Al Jazeera and the BBC all carried variants of West Ham's statement reminding supporters of their responsibility and warning that chants must not create division. Together the outlets show consistent reporting: the chant was recorded at Turf Moor, West Ham has formally condemned the lyric, and the club is urging fans not to repeat it at home. The New Arab and The Times of Israel emphasise the political dimension tied to Solomon's nationality and past social media activity; the Guardian and BBC focus more on the club's identity and the match outcome. Direct quotes include West Ham calling the chant "offensive and divisive" (Al Jazeera; AP) and saying supporters should "sing loud and proud" but "never in a way that creates division or causes offence" (West Ham statement quoted by BBC and The Guardian).

Go deeper

• Will West Ham issue stadium bans if the chant recurs at the Charlton match?
• What additional stewarding or CCTV measures will the club implement for home games?

More on these topics

• Manor Solomon - Israeli footballer

  Manor Solomon is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or as a winger for FC Shakhtar Donetsk and the Israel national team.

• Burnley F.C. - Football club

  Burnley Football Club is an English association football club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Founded on 18 May 1882, it was one of the first to become professional, and subsequently put pressure on the Football Association to permit payments to players.

• West Ham United F.C. - Football club

  West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stratford, East London. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

• Fulham F.C. - Association football club in London, England

  Fulham Football Club is a professional football club based in West London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1879, they have played home games at Craven Cottage since 1896. Fulham contest West London derby rivalries with Chelsea, Brentford and Queens Park Rangers. The club adopted a white shirt and black shorts as its kit in 1896, which has been used ever since. Founded in 1879, they are London's second oldest professional football club after Crystal Palace, who were founded in 1861. They joined the Southern League in 1898 and won two First Division titles (1905–06 and 1906–07), as well as two Second Division titles and a Western League title. Elected into the Second Division of the Football League in 1907, Fulham would win the Third Division South in 1931–32, four years after being relegated. They won the Second Division title in 1948–49, though were relegated after three seasons. Promoted back to the First Division again in 1958–59, the form of star player Johnny Haynes helped Fulham to remain in the top-flight until consecutive relegations occurred by 1969. They were promoted in 1970–71 and went on to reach the final of...

• London - Capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom

  London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River...

• Israel - Country in the Middle East

  Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.

• Premier League - Football league

  The Premier League, often referred to as the English Premier League or the EPL outside England, is the top level of the English football league system.

• London Stadium - Multi-purpose stadium at the London Olympic Park, England, United Kingdom

  London Stadium (formerly and also known as the Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London. It is located in the Lower Lea Valley, 6 miles (10 km) east of central London. The stadium was constructed specifically for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics, serving as the athletics venue and as the site of their opening and closing ceremonies. Following the Games, it was rebuilt for multi-purpose use and now serves primarily as the home of EFL Championship club West Ham United, who became anchor tenants from the 2016 season. UK athletics are the other tenants in the stadium and host a round of the World Athletics Diamond League each year, known as the London Grand Prix, sometimes called the London Anniversary Games. Land preparation for the stadium began in mid-2007, with the construction officially starting on 22 May 2008. The stadium held 80,000 people for the Olympics and the Paralympic games, before it was remodelled between 2013 and 2015 with 66,000 seats, but with capacity for football limited to 60,000 under the terms of the lease. The decision...

• Turf Moor - Stadium in Burnley, England

  Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home ground of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football.

• United Kingdom - Country in Europe

  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland.