London Soccer Fans Resort to anti-Semitic Tweets After Face-off on the Pitch

London police are examining anti-Semitic tweets posted by fans after an Arsenal-Spurs clash last weekend that saw winger Theo Walcott and St John Ambulance staff pelted with missiles.

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Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal supporters have been waging a war of words ever since the match, in which Arsenal knocked Spurs out of the FA Cup by a score of 2-0.

The trouble began when some Spurs fans threw coins at Theo Walcott, when the England forward signalled 2-0 as he was stretchered off the pitch with an injury. It escalated on Monday night after Arsenal announced that Walcott will miss the rest of the season through injury. Spurs fans were quick to celebrate the misfortune of their rivals on social media.

Arsenal supporters retaliated with messages referring disparagingly to Jews and the Holocaust. Spurs, which is from north London, has traditionally had a strong base of Jewish supporters.

The incident is being investigated as part of Scotland Yard's Operation Arrowtip, which focuses on football-related crime. "The [police] takes all such incidents seriously. Officers from Operation Arrowtip are investigating and are liaising with both clubs and the Football Association over these incidents," a spokesman said.

The FA confirmed that it has contacted Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur over the missile-throwing and said it will back the harshest punishments possible, including life-long bans.

Messages that have been posted on Twitter include, "Every Tottenham fan can be put back in the gas chambers and gassed to death!," How many Jews survived the gas chamber at Auschwitz?" and "When I laugh against your oven baked ancestors it's banter as well."