Green brigade reiterates support for Palestine after Celtic statement
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Celtic said the Green Brigade's ideals did not correspond with those of the club, disassociating with the behavior and claiming it was not a political organization.
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Fans of the Green Brigade flying Pro-Palestinian banners during the weekend game with Kimarnock (X photo)
The Green Brigade has slammed Celtic for making a political statement regarding political display in Parkhead. A fan group showed their support for Palestine during a weekend game with Kilmarnock.
Palestinian flags flew with banners that read "Free Palestine. Victory To The Resistance!"
Celtic said in their statement that the Green Brigade's ideals did not correspond with those of the club, disassociating with the behavior and claiming it was not a political organization.
Furthermore, the statement detailed how it was "inappropriate for any group of individuals to use Celtic Park as a vehicle for such messages."
Green Brigade statement @MedicalAidPal Gaza Emergency Appeal:https://t.co/lSjmr6nPD2 pic.twitter.com/pvpCkHGur7
— North Curve Celtic (@NCCeltic) October 10, 2023
The green brigade responded with their own statement reiterating their belief that they in fact do have the right to express political beliefs just like other citizens.
"Football remains one of the few areas of public life where working-class people have genuine political agency, and we will not be dictated to by an elitist board that has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for the history and traditions of Celtic Football Club," the statement read.
According to the statement, Celtic was "born out of famine and oppression, a product of colonial rule, death and the mass displacement of people. It is because of this history that Celtic fans are renowned for their empathy and solidarity; consistently siding with the oppressed and destitute."
The brigade elaborated that the PLC was hypocritical for welcoming political messages at Celtic Park when the war in Ukraine broke out, but questioned why it was not welcome now.
"Why are Ukrainian lives more sacred than Palestinian lives?" the statement questioned.
The brigade emphasized that it was "unequivocal" in its support for occupied Palestine and called out the global community for its "cowardice while war crimes are inflicted on a largely defenceless, imprisoned population.
The statement asked Celtic fans to once again raise Palestinian flags on October 25th in a new match to showcase that Celtic Football Club "stands with the oppressed, not the oppressor," and "dismantle 'Israel'" by what has been learned in South Africa.
Ireland stands up for Gaza: Palestine has every right to resist
Hundreds of Irish pro-Palestine activists demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy in Dublin on Monday evening, deploring the barbaric bombing of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation forces.
The demonstrators underscored that Palestinians have the full right to defend themselves and commended the Palestinian Resistance reaffirming their right to defend their freedom in all ways deemed appropriate.
In turn, Irish Representative Richard Boyd Barrett gave a speech during the demonstrations and drew attention to the "double standards" of the United States of America, the European Union, and the Government of Ireland, "who had supported Ukraine with all kinds of weapons and ammunition over the previous two years, down to internationally prohibited cluster munitions, and renounced the Palestinian people who had every right to resist occupation, as terrorists."
"All human rights institutions have accused Israel of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing," Barrett said.
"These institutions disguised Israel's crimes throughout the blockade of Gaza from the policy of collective punishment of 2 million people, and aggression contorted the aggression against the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the United Nations designation of Gaza as a state of ongoing humanitarian crisis," the statement added.
