Last week, during a UEFA Champions League qualifying playoff match against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva at Celtic Park, supporters of the Glasgow club raised Palestinian flags to raise awareness of what they describe as “the system of apartheid laws and practices including religious and ethnic based colonisation, military occupation and segregation” in Palestinian land.
The Green Brigade in action. Photo: @yvonneridley | Twitter
Before and during the match, thousands of Hoops supporters held up the unofficial flag of Palestine in an action that many believe will result in a sanction from UEFA. In fact, European football’s governing body has scheduled a hearing on the matter for late September.
Now, the protest has grown to include a GoFundMe campaign called #matchthefineforpalestine, a reference to the financial punishment the club is expected to receive from UEFA as a result of last week’s protest.
Initially, the campaign, run by the Celtic supporters’ group the Green Brigade, targeted raising £15,000 for the U.K.-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (M.A.P.) and the Lajee Center/Aida Refugee Camp in the West Bank.
To date, an overwhelming response from Celtic supporters and supporters of other clubs has yielded nearly £150,000 in donations and counting.
While not everyone is supportive of the Green Brigades’ cause — the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a divisive one after all — both Celtic and its supporters are receiving messages of thanks from the beneficiaries and plaudits from others around the world. All of which puts UEFA in an awkward position as it considers punishing the club for the initial protest by its fans.
