A Chelsea fan who sent antisemitic tweets that referred to Jewish people as “Y*ds” and “vermin” has been handed a lifetime ban by the football club.
Kerry Hardwell, 35, from Bognor, was reported to Sussex Police last August by a fellow Chelsea supporter, Dan Levene, who is Jewish and has campaigned against racism in football.
Hardwell pleaded guilty at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on July 25 to three charges of sending communications with offensive messages and one charge of sending an offensive message by a public communication network. The tweets were sent over a ten-year period from 2012 to 2022.
Levene, a freelance sports journalist writing for publications including the sports site The Athletic, claimed to have uncovered more than 50 antisemitic tweets published from Hardwell’s account, including posts that referred to Jews as “vermin” and “parasites”.
In one tweet, Hardwell allegedly called businessman and television personality Lord Alan Sugar a “Y*d c***”.
In a witness statement read out to the court, Levene said: “The ‘Y-word’ is three letters that are often thrown away by people who may claim they don’t fully appreciate their collective meaning; with some football fans among that number.
“But everyone, most notably the defendant here, should be aware that it is a racially offensive word – and its use in a pejorative sense, as in this case, is a hate crime. This word, and variants of it, have been used throughout history by extremists to demonise and persecute a minority. My minority. This history is relevant, because it explains the pernicious nature of the word’s usage today.”
Chelsea said in a statement that it “condemns antisemitic abuse and hate speech in all its forms” and it has “no tolerance for it at our club”.
The club added: “As soon as Sussex Police made us aware, Mr Hardwell was suspended pending the outcome of criminal proceedings.
“Subsequent to Mr Hardwell’s conviction, we can confirm that he has been issued with a lifetime ban from Chelsea FC. We commend Dan Levene for coming forward. Nobody should have to be subject to the type of disgusting abuse he has had to endure.”
Levene praised Chelsea for committing to a lifetime ban, noting that historically, shorter bans have been handed out for hate speech among fans.
“Antisemitism… is on the rise. But so is knowledge of it: and that is in a large part thanks to the former ownership's excellent work on this,” Levene said.
“I think credit is due both to the current and former [Chelsea] ownership. And those among the club's support who feel they can get away with racism/antisemitism should now be aware: there are no second chances. Other clubs may like to take note, and follow.”
Sussex Police’s dedicated football officer, PC Darren Balkham, said: “The vitriol in the messages were sent in the belief that because the person was behind a keyboard, they wouldn’t be identified. The defendant was wrong, and Harding will now have learned this lesson. There is no place for antisemitic and racist abuse, either in football or in society.”
Anti-Jew hate charity Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jewish football fans deserve to enjoy the beautiful game free of vile antisemitic abuse. We commend Chelsea Football Club for giving a lifetime ban to this racist online troll, and also Dan Levene for having the courage and tenacity to report this case and see it through.”
Hardwell was handed a three-year Football Banning Order by the court, which restricts his access to attending professional football matches in England. He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work, which was increased from 120 hours due to the racially aggravated nature of the crime.
