The man who was filmed being forced off a train in Paris by a crowd of Chelsea fans, who then proceeded to launch into a racist chant, has spoken out and stated that the men involved should face jail time.
The man, referred to as “Souleymane S” by Paris-based newspaper Le Parisien, was filmed by an onlooker as a large crowd of Chelsea fans travelling to the club’s Champions League match against PSG pushed him off a carriage, before the fans chanted: “We’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it.”
Speaking to the French newspaper, Souleymane said: “I wanted to get into the carriage but a group of English fans blocked me and pushed me away.
“I tried to force the passage, I again tried to return. In the scramble, I lost my phone.
“They told me things in English but I did not really understand the meaning of their words. I do not speak a word of English.
“I understand also that they were attacking me because of the colour of my skin. You know, I live with racism, I was not really surprised by what happened to me even if it was a first in the subway.”
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Unaware that the incident had been filmed, Souleymane said that he chose to not inform his wife and children of what had taken place. “I went home without telling this story to anyone, not my wife or kids”, he continued. “What can I say to my children? That daddy was abused on the metro because he is black?
“One person came up to me and said I was brave to resist them like that. But no one came to my defence but to be fair, what could they do?
“These people, these English fans must be found, punished and must be locked up. What happened should not go unpunished.”
Chelsea has released a statement saying that the club is looking to punish those who were implicated, while the Metropolitan police is launching an investigation of its own and is seeking to work alongside the club in order to hand out stadium bans. Meanwhile, UEFA has said that the incident took place “outside of their remit”, and they would therefore not be looking to hand out punishments of their own.
Photo: Guardian
