A video showing a group of England fans giving sickening salutes and singing Nazi songs in the World Cup host city of Volgograd, in which nearly 2 million people died during WWII, has appeared online.
In the footage, which was reportedly taken after England beat Tunisia 2-1 at Volgograd Arena on Monday, the fans are seen performing Nazi salutes while shouting “Sieg Heil”. They also sang songs which glorify the Third Reich.
The bar in the video has been identified as ‘Galereya Pub’ in Volgograd. RT’s Ruptly video agency, which was on site to report on World Cup games, went to the bar to investigate the video.
While the bar’s employees refused to talk on camera, they confirmed that the group of England fans visited the establishment but say that they missed the moment which was shown in the footage as they were in the process of closing the bar.
The video appears to show the fans signing: “Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz, Hitler’s gonna gas them again, you can’t stop them, the Yids from Tottenham, the yids from White Hart Lane,” while laughing and performing Nazi salutes.
While the song is aimed at fans of Tottenham Hotspur - nicknamed ‘Spurs,’ it is all the more abhorrent given it took place in Volgograd, a city scarred by the Battle of Stalingrad in which nearly 2 million people perished in a defeat of Nazi forces in WWII.
READ MORE: Five ways iconic Stalingrad battle turned tide of WW2
Known as Stalingrad during the war, this year marked 75 years since that battle which was the bloodiest of the entire conflict. The fans could now face criminal proceedings for glorifying Nazis in both Russia and their native United Kingdom.
In Russia under the criminal justice system, actions meant to incite hatred based on race or religion can be punished with up to five years in prison. According to reports in UK media, British police are already working with the Football Association to investigate of the video.