“Basketball doesn’t cover up genocide,” “Put Zionism out of sports,” and “Palestine will win,” chanted protesters holding Palestinian flags in front of the WiZink Center in central Madrid.
Demonstrators gather outside Movistar Arena before the match between Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv to protest against the #Israel-based team. pic.twitter.com/GXwfxzEJoV
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 15, 2025
The protest did not have permission from the police and security services, but it was held after the police wrote down the personal data of several demonstrators, reports Hina.
Until recently, the Spanish minister for social rights, Ione Belarra, was at the head of the protest that began 45 minutes before the clash between the Spanish and Israeli champions.
The 37-year-old leader of the left-wing Podemos party asked the Spanish government ahead of the match to ban Maccabi and its fans from entering Spain, which Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares refused, saying “it is necessary to separate sport from politics”.
Belarra believes that Albares and Euroleague, the organizer of the European basketball competition, have “double standards”, because Russian clubs were expelled from that competition after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“Sports, like everything else in life, is politics, Mr. Albares,” Belarra wrote on the X social network.
“Cut off economic, sports, cultural and diplomatic relations with that gang of genocidals,” she added.
The organization “Solidarity Network against the Occupation of Palestine” announced that “through sports, Israel wants to send the image that everything is normal, in order to cover up its crimes.”
Maccabi plays its European home games in Belgrade, and on Tuesday night it was defeated in Madrid with 113-116 by Real. It was the game with the most points in Euroleague history.
On February 7, Maccabi will host Baskonia in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The Basque organization “Palestinarekin Elkartasuna” requested the cancellation of the match, stating that “Israel uses sports and cultural events to improve its international image.” A year ago, Baskonia fans unfurled dozens of Palestinian flags in their stadium during a match with Maccabi chanting “long live free Palestine”.
Five days ago, a friendly handball match between the Spanish second division club San Pablo Burgos and the Israeli national team in Valladolid was almost canceled due to protests. The match was played without an audience, in a locked hall around which there was increased police control.
The “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) movement opposes the participation of Israeli teams and national teams in sports competitions. The “Red Card to Israel” campaign is directed against the world football federation FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. The movement estimates that since October last year, 403 Palestinian athletes and sports officials have been killed in Israeli attacks.
Maccabi has not commented on the protests held in Madrid. The Israeli embassy in Madrid wrote on the X social network that “Palestinian terrorists carried out hundreds of attacks in Israel during 2024 with the intention of killing its residents.” They stated that “the media usually do not publish this information”.
Last year, Spain recognized the independence of Palestine within the 1967 borders, demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli army and settlers from the occupied territories.
(Vijesti.ba)
