All over the world, and there are countless examples if you look for them, the protest against conditions in Palestine has earned the Celtic support massive credit.
Whilst the Scottish press moved to condemn the action, and trumpet loudly in the hope UEFA would hear, its perhaps not surprising that a more balanced view could be found elsewhere, but it is surprising that you would find it in the Times.
Of Israel;
Fans of Celtic FC flew hundreds of Palestinian flags while cheering from the stands against Hapoel Beersheba in a Champions League match in Glasgow on Wednesday.
The display was done despite a ban by officials in the Scottish stadium. Scottish police, too, had urged fans not to bring in Palestinian flags, under threat of arrest, according to the Daily Record.
Organizers of the group Palestine Alliance also handed out flyers on the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, which Palestinians call the Nakba, or “catastrophe.”
The defiant move by the Celtic supporters was hailed by Palestinian Twitter users and activists online.
Scottish papers really need to take a look at themselves when you look to the Israeli press to get more impartiality in a report about an anti Israeli protest.
Speaking of impartiality, in the same paper back in July, a report claimed thirteen per cent of Jews living in Scotland did not believe the Scottish Police were impartial when it came to dealing with racially based complaints.
Presumably the other 87% knew they weren’t.
Regarding the protest, the Green Brigade issued a statement;
Those who criticise might do well to consider a few musings from outwith the mainstream Scottish media, because , as ever, it gives a wider view on the issue, and much more impartial.
It’s not the first time the Celtic support, and principally the Green Brigade, have done this, which may conveniently have slipped the mind of a few hacks. ( note, for the purpose of the narrative we’ll assume that they do actually have a mind of their own )
David Potter, who has written many books about Celtic, told Andrew MacFadyen, writing for AlJazeera in June 2012, on the back of a similar pro Palestinian protest at a game against Hearts, why he could see a connection between Celtic and Palestine;
“Ulster and Israel are similarly artificially created states. They were created by the British as an attempt to retain their influence, even if this was at the expense of naked and brutal suppression of those who disagreed.”
MacFadyens article, written four years ago, still has a relevance.
Palestine was accepted as a FIFA member in 1998, after the creation of the Palestinian Authority. Nabhan Khraishi, spokesman for the Palestinian Football Association, said they are “using sport to deliver a message to the world”.
A national team is a powerful symbol among a nation without a state, but progress has been difficult. In 2009, three Palestinian footballers, Ayman Alkurd, Shadi Sbakhe and Wajeh Moshtahe were among those killed during the bombing of Gaza.
Sarsak is one of 300 Palestinian prisoners being held under “administrative detention”, a procedure used to hold suspects for potentially unlimited time without trial. The National Stadium and the offices of the Palestinian Football Association were also destroyed.
“We are facing harassment from the Israelis,” Khraishi told Al Jazeera. “Our players – and even our technical teams – are not allowed to move freely between Gaza and the West Bank, and are held up at international borders.”
When Palestine played their first competitive home international last year, an Olympic qualifier against Thailand, eight Gaza-based players were stopped from making the short journey to Ramallah for the match.
“We are asking international organisations to pressure Israel to allow us freedom of movement,” said Khraishi. “We are appealing to all sports clubs to stand with us.”
Amir Ofek, press attache at the Israeli embassy in London, denied that Israel was deliberately targeting players. He told Al Jazeera that “almost-daily missile attacks” launched on Israel from Gaza were the only reason for imposing travel restrictions on Palestinians.
He added that Israel had the right to control who and what entered the Palestinian territories because of the security situation – and that it had to conduct checks to stop materials being brought in that could potentially be used for “hostile activity”.
Most pressing of all is the case of Palestinian footballer, Mahmoud Sarsak, whose life is said to be at grave risk after beginning a hunger strike on March 19.
He has been in Israeli custody since July 2009, when he was detained at a checkpoint as he travelled from his home in Gaza to join the Palestinian national squad for a match at the Balata Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank.
The recent wave of hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners has mobilised widespread support and cut across differences of faith and geography. There are now wider calls from civic Scotland for a sporting boycott of Israel.
Pauline McNeill, a former member of the Scottish parliament and a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, told Al Jazeera that UEFA should reconsider its decision to hold its Under-23 Championship in Israel in 2013.
“Nelson Mandela said the sporting boycott was hugely significant in breaking the Apartheid Regime in South Africa,” she said. “I believe it is time to make a stand that this is unacceptable. Amongst other things I believe that UEFA should not endorse the actions of Israel by playing the tournament in Israel as if it’s just business as usual.”
That was then, little has changed, but the battle goes on, and if this contributes, then it will have been more than worth any fine, or ban, or bad press in the papers.
Notably, though, only in the Scottish papers, who have quietened down a little since their initial recording and heralding of the event.
See what I did there ?
The recent protest has had the desired affect, there’s no doubt, and it’s even being raised in parliament…
More importantly, the stance against oppression, injustice and murder was seen by those affected most.
And they were thankful, which is what matters most;
But what also matters is what happens next.
UEFA will probably fine Celtic, and Edddie Keane , on twitter , has the best idea of all time as to how to deal with that…
Someone should crowd-fund the same amount of the fine we get from UEFA and hand it over to aid workers in Gaza.
Anyone know how we’d go about that ?
Quite simply the best idea anyone had about anything.
Ever.
On now to less serious matters, and there is talk that there will be no movement in or out of the playing staff until after the game next Tuesday, as Peter Lawwell is in a bit of a mood at the moment, which , of course is in no way connected with Wednesday flag protest.
He’s just having a bit of a lie down, thats all, as he took a nasty tumble when his face tripped him at full time.
What a lot of us have failed to attach any importance to is that the bulk of Celtics business is already done, incoming at least, and perhaps talk of further additions is merely just the cup of joy runnething over, as they say in cirlcles where word structure is a problem.
Specualtion has now shifted to a “blue chip ” signing, with the likes of Schweinsteiger, Juan Mato and even promising Spaniard Xavi touted as possible Celts before the window slides down to keep out the winter cold.
Look, I’m happy to believe that I’m more verbose than any Sky presenter, and I refuse point blank to refer to the transfer window slamming shut, especially these days when windows have special hinges that mean you can’t slam them shut anyway.
Even Zlatan has been on the phone to UEFA, asking if the contract he signed with Manchester United can be nullified, as he wants to play alongside Leigh Griffiths at some point in his career, and has accepted that the Griff isn’t going to go to Old Trafford as his career is still on the up, and will stay at a football club rather than a corporate carbuncl for as long as he can.
Actually, that reminds me…
Manchester City won their play off quite convincingly over in Bucharest, but it appears their support were outnumbered by Steaua’s stewards, a picture of which i noticed on twitter last night, but can;t find this morning.
As we have seen, their support is much lower than it used to be, when the club didn’t have billions to spend and were languishing in the lower divisions.
A support that back then you couldn’t fail to respect and admire, regularly around the fifty thousand mark for home games against mediocre opposition.
Then they got all that money, a new ground, and a large chunk of their fans appear to have chucked it.
Be careful what you wish for…..
Back to Celtic, and former manager Neil Lennon, a hero to most of us, continued his metamorphosis into a tosser.
Doing his best to absolve his loyal staff, who campaigned to have him reinstated after he was mutually consented, from any blame for the Deila years, he told the Daily Record, who were delighted to listen, that it was all the Norwegians fault, and not his nor any of his disciples in any way whatsoever.
“I was really pleased for Scott scoring his goal. Look, these players – Scott Brown, James Forrest, as well as the likes of Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew, who didn’t figure – have had a lot of criticism over the last two years.
“They’re not bad players and what Brendan has done is just tapped into them again. He looks like he’s getting the best out of them again.
“For a long time they were getting a lot of criticism from Celtic supporters which I don’t think was down to the players.
Thats certainly a novel and refreshing viewpoint.
Commons certainly made his own bed and now has to lie in it. Brown was pictured out on the beer slumped against a wall, Mulgrew openly reminisced about previous managers in the dressing room, and Forrest went out and got that haircut.
Hardly sweet little innocents who have been misused.
Has Brendan tapped into them, or laid into them ?
One management tactic is to knock someone down for their misdeameanours and then build them back up better than they were. Is this what Rodgers has done ?
Well, Lennon isn’t saying, but he is. Isnt he?
Cryptic clues-for Record readers ?
Yeah, that should be a winner.
Lennon teases..
“Who’s fault was it?
Well, who do you think?
One day I will talk about it but I don’t think you need to be a rocket scientist to work it out.”
Always one day I’ll talk about it. Thats the deal with Lennon. always one day.
So, just for that, heres a reminder of what he looks like in a jacket with a nice warm woolly hood.
Yesterdays caption competiton, which was this picture, showing the Hapoel VIP area, or so they said
was, it seems really, this…
Caption: Celtic board show solidarity with Palestinians
Today, from the same game, what words of , er, mutual respect could have passed between these two ?
