Disgrace

[Tooting Gull]

First of all, I would say at least SM has had the balls to come on here and defend the song in some reasonably coherent way, unlike the majority who resort to that kind of thing and slink away believing their behaviour is indefensible.

But 'You're just a small town near Delhi' is a racist song, pure and simple. It is only one step removed from singing 'You're just a town full of Pakis', which is even more overtly racist. Thankfully didn't hear that, but it's much the same end result. The clear meaning is that it's a much worse place purely because there is a large ethnic population. If Luton's a dump, it's because, err, it's a dump, and nothing else.

I was in Luton a couple of weeks ago, and was chatting to a black guy who was well into his football, knew his stuff and said he was a Luton fan. I asked him if he went regularly, and he just gave a knowing look, and said: "No, I don't really like going to the matches..." Wonder why, hearing that every week.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

I am not racist, far from it but I did find the "Dehli" chant midly amusing.

Why can't this just be classed as banter along with the "gay" chants we have to endure?

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Worthing-Lisbon BHA

 

[Rougvie]

Anyway, as I'm digging myself a deeper hole, I'll give up. It would be simply horrendous to see any kind of racism creeping back on to the terraces.

No you are not, actually you are spot on, its just difficult to explain the way the chant happened and petered off as people realised what they were saying with out the moral high grounders getting carried away with themselves

 

[balloonboy]

Tooting - you're absolutely right.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I was just wondering how long it might take before some contemptuous bigot started to fling around that tired old "PC crap gone mad" mantra in order to make a stand on behalf of racism, intolerance and cretinous knuckle-headed bullshit. It wasn't long.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

If you know who the guys shouting this are, you should let the club now.

simple.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

That's it, nor did I. Was well concerned on hearing that, cos I thought we'd pretty much got rid of that at the Albion.

Not so. Near enough every game I've been to in London, whether it be Orient, Brentford, Fulham there's racist chanting

Southend away, (Adams' first game in charge) was bad, "rather be a Paki than a Turk" song sung by many........

Ah well, whatever rocks their boat

 

[Simster]

SM,
You talk as if we haven't realised that these are just light hearted chants. But we do and I think you're the one who doesn't "get it".
I take your point that the Luton fans were probably not *all* offended, in the same way as I was not offended by the "do you fancy Elton John?" chant. To me, it's mild, fairly tedious banter, but it lacks a certain amount of class because the point is that it *might* offend a section of people in the crowd and anyway, it does nothing to endear their club to the local ethnic community.
The fact that I don't find it offensive doesn't mean I'll sing it, simply because others might.

Lets assume Brighton was famous for having a large mental institution in it's city centre. And perhaps there have been tragic isolated incidents of patients escaping with unfortunate side effects for the local population.
Now lets assume you have a mentally disabled sibling. How would you react to a chant of "You're just a town full of spastics" that in reality didn't offend most Brightonians in the crowd? Personally, it would make me feel very sick.

 

[SM BHAFC]

Just about as long as it took some bookish, nerdy, looney left wing, PC gone mad, socialist worker goon to shout accusations of racism and knuckle headed bullshit I suppose.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

SM,
How would you react to a chant of "You're just a town full of spastics"

I'd laugh and give 'em the wanker sign!!!

 

[ChutneyStirrer]

'Small Town In Delhi' = 'Town Full Of Pakis' = Racist

Regarding people trying to get on the pitch.... from my position I saw some people surge towards the front of the stand to remonstrate with the ref for his poor decision, but weren't trying to get on the pitch. The one guy who got carted off was standing on the hoardings holding onto the pillar - if the OB had just pushed him back into the stand it wouldn't have escalated the way it did with others, quite rightly, trying to stop him getting nicked and all the other OB steaming in - it would've been over without real incident. In the end he is going to get a ban for what? Passionately remonstrating against a very poor bit of refereeing and then being a victim of heavy-handed policing....

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

There was some racist comments made near me, but by people talking to each other. I didn't hear anything actually shouted towards the ref, even during the penalty debacle.

The 'Delhi' song is just bollocks. It's racist in the same way that we get the homophobic songs sungs at us. So what if Luton does have a large community of Asian and Black people? So what if none of the Luton fans were offended by it? In this day and age this sort of shit shouldn't even be thought about, except that certain small minded individuals wont let it go, and too many sheep in the crowd join in.

 

[Guinness Boy]

1. "Small town near Delhi" - sorry but to me it clearly is racist. Since Luton's nowhere near India it's clearly meant to state how many Indians are in the City. That it's "part of the normal banter" seems to suggest that having lots of Indians in your city is a bad thing. Why is it a bad thing? If it isn't what's the point of singing it to wind up the opposition (you could surely stick to "Oh Luton Town, Is reallly nice" if that were the case).

2. On the other hand why this sudden rush to condemn peple for things that go on at every game up and down the country. "Fart and we won't get Falmer". Oh really? Isn't it far more likely that opposition fans have written letters and signed the petition because they realise we're f***ed without a ground rather than because they think we're all Mother Teresa? Isn't it also more likely that not one NIMBY or member of John Prescott's staff will have been at the game and there would have been no reports of this sort of stuff in the national media. "Luckily" it's now been stuck on a prominant website for all to see.

 

[SM BHAFC]

Simster I don't know for sure but i suspect that if someone came up to me who knew my personal situation and said that to me I would probably try to knock them out.

If a bunch of strangers from another town sang it to me at a football match I would probably react as the dancin ninja.

 

[Beeneys gloves]

There was a bloke next to me who when the ref blew for a foul against Benjamin shouted, u cant do that he's a brother.

Wasnt said in jest or anything, was like he seriously believed it.

Does he think white refs shouldnt give fouls against white players then?

 

[The Famous Grouse]

I didn't hear any racist abuse

 

[Rougvie]

If you know who the guys shouting this are, you should let the club now.

simple.

As I have this morning, also witnessed by a BHAFC employee.

 

[alan partridge]

And yes I do have some idea about what constitutes racism and bigtotry but is is not the highly sensitive over the top PC crap that that many seem to subscribe to these days.

yeah, your idea of what is highly sensitive pc crap is basically whatever you disagree with. i remember you refer to your local newsagent as the paki shop and anyone who thinks that wrong is just a wooly headed loony leftwing twat. infact, from now on you shall be known as either paddy or mick to me. after all i imagine your white and you speak english eh pads?

 

[Simster]

Simster I don't know for sure but i suspect that if someone came up to me who knew my personal situation and said that to me I would probably try to knock them out.

If a bunch of strangers from another town sang it to me at a football match I would probably react as the dancin ninja.

Fair enough mate, and I probably would too, but don't you think you're being intolerant to those who wouldn't react in that way?

 

[Lammy]

It's a funny one this.

Is it racist to sing "You're just small town in Delhi"

Or

Is it racist to be offended by it? To be offended by it would mean that you take the stance that the song is an insult. i.e. To live in Delhi would be worse than living in Luton (I know which one I'd choose).

I have no doubt that the song was meant as banter rather than pure hatred. I cannot confirm this as I didn't hear it. However, if I were gay and someone called me a gay I wouldn't find it offensive as I would not persive myself to be a lesser individual for being gay. Just as if I were asian and was told that I lived in Delhi. I wouldn't find it offensive. To take offensive is to agree with the sentiments of the idiots singing it.

IMHO of course. I could just be talking crap!