How many more times? It’s not a nazi salute. It’s a Hitler piss take. If someone had done a Hitler piss take during the reich they wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.

During and after the war Hitler piss takes were common in the UK. Those doing them were anti nazi, not national socialist sympathisers; in fact they were frequently people who actually fought against the nazis and put their lives on the line for the anti nazi cause.

There’s a massive difference between a nazi salute and a Hitler piss take. The first one is consistent with anti semitism - which the FA quite rightly need to stamp our. The second is, at worst, inappropriate humour in poor taste.

How this has gone so far is beyond me. It’s a national disgrace and it actually trivialises genuine antisemitism. Those responsible for the decision at the FA should resign.

I'm expressing a different opinion based on what WH said afterwards - nothing more. If he's telling the truth then someone will have heard him.

It would certainly be nice if his team mates came forward and said that they heard him calling the waiter. Then the FA could say 'Fair enough, that's all we wanted to know, cheers.'

At least that's what you'd hope they'd say.

My initial reaction was much the same as your post. Upon reflection though, and for the reasons in my earlier post, I don't think it's a disgrace that the FA are looking into it.

Ultimately however, if they end up giving hennessey any significant type of punishment.... Well then that really would be a complete outrage.

I suppose my point is that there's a big difference between the decision to activate the process and the actual outcome of that process. If they do what they've got to do by investigating, and then formally find either no evidence to contradict hennesseys (possibly slightly ambitious) defence, or even better, find that it was a joke made in what he had every right to think was a private environment occupied by sensible grown-ups, to my mind that would create faith in this type of process. It would say that we don't sweep anything like this under the carpet, but we also have common sense.

Now, let's see how this ends up eh?

Edited by TheBigToePunt (23 Jan 2019 10.57pm)

And what about that other well known anti semite, Mel Brooks.
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Oh, hang on ...

No. It’s quite wrong for the charge to even be made. To any casual observer Wayne is now a suspected Nazi/anti-Semite. The label will stick. He will get abuse from fans wherever he goes from now on.

I wonder what these liberators would have made of this ridiculous situation?
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Presumably the FA believe these soldiers should have been rounded up and court-martialled for having nazi sympathies!

It’s a total farce. Wayne is being hung out by some faceless bureaucrats who want to be seen as acting against anti semitism. They don’t care if the facts don’t quite fit. They won’t let the truth stand in the way of a good opportunity to garner some cheap publicity at the expense of an innocent bloke who was having a harmless laugh at a social event.