Fans from Paris Saint-Germain’s Boulogne Kop displayed a large “Free Palestine” banner prior to the commencement of their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, eight days before France’s scheduled Nations League game against Israel in Paris.
“War on the pitch, but peace in the world,” a message underneath said.
Paris Saint-Germain Supporters unfurl ‘Free Palestine’ Banner at match
During the match, they unrolled another message that read: “Does a child’s life in Gaza mean less than another?”
PSG said they had not been aware “of any plans to display such a message”.
The banner also featured an image of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Lebanese flag, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 40 in the country’s east on Wednesday.
“Paris St Germain recalls that the Parc des Princes is — and must remain — a place of communion around a common passion for soccer and firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium,” the club added in a statement.
Last year, Celtic were fined 17,500 euros because of fans waving Palestinian flags during a Champions League game.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 100,000 since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry figures.
France take on Israel at the Stade de France next Thursday, with fans allowed in the 80,000-capacity stadium.
Last month, Paris police officials said the game would ‘of course be open to the public’.
Italy played Israel in Udine amid tight security, but Belgium played their home game in Debrecen, Hungary, after their federation said that “In Belgium, no local administration deemed it possible to organise the Red Devils’ home match against Israel”.