Anti-Semites Blamed for Rome Soccer Attack LONDON - A brutal attack in Rome on fans of the Tottenham Hotspurs soccer team, a London club with strong Jewish connections, has been blamed on anti-Semites. Ten fans were injured on Thursday, one seriously, when a gang of around 50 stormed a bar in the Italian capital, wielding baseball bats, knives and broken bottles before a Europa League match against Lazio, a Rome team. The assault was immediately linked to Lazio's notoriously troublesome fans, the Ultras, although team officials denied its supporters were involved. As the police in Rome were reported to have arrested two local men on suspicion of attempted homicide, officials were pursuing the theory that anti-Semitism was behind what appeared to be an organized attack. At the match on Thursday night, the hardline fans in the "ultras" section of the Olympic Stadium chanted "Juden Tottenham" and hoisted a "Free Palestine" banner. The violence comes as the London team, known to fans as the Spurs, is debating how best to celebrate its Jewish connection at a time when British soccer is embroiled in a series of high-profile cases of alleged racism on and off the field. The club's fan base is not significantly more Jewish than that of any top English club. But the team's proximity to Europe's largest ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in the suburb of Stamford Hill has earned it a reputation as a Jewish team, not least among supporters of its soccer rivals. In response to frequent anti-Semitic taunts by opposing fans at home and at international matches, Spurs supporters, Jews and non-Jews alike, have traditionally responded with the war cry "Yid Army!" Activists trying to kick racism out of soccer are now appealing to Spurs fans to drop the chant at a time when the sport is taking increasingly forthright action to protect black players from racist abuse. The debate has divided fans, including Jewish supporters of the north London team. Peter Herbert, chairman of the Society of Black Lawyers has said he will hold talks with London police next week before deciding whether to file an official complaint against Spurs fans who chant, in support of the team, "Yiddo" at the team's home matches. "It does not make a difference if it is Tottenham fans doing the chants or away fans," he said. There has to be zero tolerance and if that catches out Spurs then so be it. David Baddiel, a Jewish comedian who supports the rival Chelsea team, also said this month that the Spurs' Jewish connection did not entitle fans to call themselves by the politically incorrect term, and that only three or four percent of the team's supporters were Jewish. Joel Samuels, a Jewish Spurs' fan, took issue with Mr. Baddiel in The Guardian. "It has always been a badge of immense pride to hear 35,000 people at White Hart Lane proudly use an otherwise offensive term as a badge of honor," he wrote. The Jewish Chronicle acknowledged there was nothing close to a consensus on the issue of the chant. "Some see it as deeply offensive and an impediment to stamping out racism, and specifically anti-Semitism, on the terraces," said Britain's most widely-read Jewish newspaper, referring to the stands. Others see it as analogous to gays taking ownership of the word 'queer,' and turning abuse on its head. Is it legitimate to co-opt racist terms in the service of anti-racism or should all terms of abuse be outlawed in sport, regardless of who is using them?