Celtic fans stand firm in support of Palestine

Celtic Football Club seeks to remain neutral in the Israel-Hamas war.
“Free Palestine. Victory to the Resistance!” This was the message written on banners displayed by the Green Brigade — a Celtic FC fan collective — at Celtic Park on Saturday, Oct. 7, one day after 1,500 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes in retaliation to attacks from Hamas that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and saw 150 kidnapped.
Celtic Football Club has since released a statement to disassociate themselves from their fans’ views and condemn the act of raising political banners in the stadium. While the display, which provoked such swift condemnation from the club, was certainly political, the club tolerated similar demonstrations at Celtic Park until Monday, Oct. 9, one day after Israel declared war against Hamas.
“Celtic is a football club and not a political organization,” the club said. “One of our core values from inception is to be open to all regardless of race, color, politics or creed.”
Despite the club’s attempts not to alienate potential consumers by taking a side, any hope of appearing neutral went out the window when their statement was released. Far from a rejection of political messaging, condemnation of the fans’ unambiguous show of solidarity with the Palestinians is a decision to ignore the human rights atrocities inflicted by the Israeli apartheid regime. To illustrate the callous sentiment towards Palestinian life carried by the statement, compare it with the club’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Contrary to the club’s recent labeling of political action at Celtic matches as inappropriate, the owners of Celtic invited displaced Ukrainians taking refuge in Glasgow to Celtic Park for their match against Ukrainian champions, Shakhtar Donetsk, one year ago. However minor a gesture this may have been, it recognized Ukranians as refugees from the invasion of Russia. The Green Brigade responded to the club’s recent statement with an emphatic reaffirmation of their commitment to standing with the oppressed.
“Celtic was born out of famine and oppression, a product of colonial rule, death and the mass displacement of people,” the Green Brigade said. “It is because of this history that Celtic fans are renowned for their empathy and solidarity; consistently siding with the oppressed and destitute.”
The Green Brigade also questioned the club’s sudden desire to appear apolitical given its past tolerance of and participation in supporting marginalized communities during political conflicts.
“Political messaging was welcome at Celtic Park then; yet it is being condemned now,” said the Green Brigade. “Why are Ukrainian lives more sacred than Palestinian lives?”
The club’s selective support of human rights issues boils down to whether or not those suffering are citizens of Western or Western-aligned countries. It’s not considered a political move to support Ukrainians seeking refuge from a Russian invasion when everyone including FIFA and UEFA condemns the invasion. The reason supporting Palestine is considered an inappropriate politicization of sport is because it is a Western ally doing the killing. When innocent Palestinians are killed by the Israeli government, it is regarded as a regrettable, but unavoidable reality of war fought with noble intent. Their deaths are often explained as collateral damage or mistakes, but not war crimes or murder. As the Green Brigade’s statement points out, it is unlikely that the board of Celtic Football Club lends much genuine thought to the suffering of any victims of war or terror. They just know there are human rights causes that must be publicly supported and others that cannot be acknowledged.
The Green Brigade has called for all Celtic fans to collectively oppose the suppression of support for those being subjected to ethnic cleansing in Gaza by waving Palestinian flags when Celtic hosts Atletico Madrid in their next home match on Oct. 25. Additionally, fans have been encouraged to donate to the MAP Gaza Emergency Fund and Aida Celtic, a football academy in the Aida refugee camp which is locally managed in Palestine and funded by the Green Brigade of Celtic FC.
Celtic was founded in 1887 to alleviate poverty among refugees of the Irish Potato famine who immigrated to Glasgow’s east end. Songs of anti-fascist resistance like “Bella Ciao” and “Let the People Sing” are still played in Celtic Park today. So it is not the activism of fans that strays from the club’s roots and values, but the institutional rejection of solidarity that takes the side of the oppressor through its attempts to remain neutral.

Post Author: Ryan Shumaker