By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Activists from several European countries are planning to stage a rally outside this week’s UEFA Congress in London protesting against the decision to hand this summer’s European Under-21 championship to Israel.
Organised by the Red Card Israeli Racism campaign, the protestors will urge the tournament to be switched because of what the group claims is Israel’s “systematic violation of Palestinians’ rights.”
Friday’s rally outside the Grosvenor House hotel will include highlighting companies which are allegedly “complicit in the Israeli occupation”
Geoffrey Lee, coordinator of the Red Card Israeli Racism campaign, said UEFA is condoning discrimination by allowing Israel – which is geographically out of Europe but was adopted by UEFA after being in limbo for many years following its exclusion from the Asian confederation – to stage the event.
“If we condemn racist chanting against black players in Europe, why do we condone a whole system of racism against Palestinians, created and enforced by successive Israeli governments?” he asked.
Last week, Dutch protestors staged a similar protest prior to the Europa League final in Amsterdam and called on the Dutch FA withdraw the national team from the under-21 finals “as an example for other countries.”
Filmmaker Ken Loach, who has supported the campaign for more than a year, said: “It is shocking that UEFA has ignored calls from the Palestinian Football Association and many football clubs, as well as anti-racist human rights campaigners across Europe , to reconsider its ill-advised decision. UEFA should recognise the plight of Palestinian footballers and the intolerable difficulties that are put in their way by the illegal Israeli Occupation.'”
Campaigners are calling on congress delegates to give a hearing to visiting Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak, who staged a prolonged hunger strike during his third year of detention without trial in Israel . His plight drew support from, among others, Sepp Blatter and Eric Cantona, leading to his eventual release last July.
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