Artyom Dolgopyat after winning the gold medal at the World Championships/Gymnastics Association
At Celtic's match against Kilmarnock on Saturday, the day the war broke out in Gaza, Celtic's supporters organization, the Green Brigades, demonstrated in support of the stands with Palestinian flags and signs reading "Free Palestine" and "Victory for the resistance" in support of Hamas' murderous actions in the Gaza envelope. Since then, Nir Bitton has reacted angrily to his former team's fans, and Liel Abda, the club's current player, demanded a condemnation from the club, which eventually came: "The signs that appeared at the game do not represent the views of the club and we condemn them, Celtic is a football club and not a political organization," the team wrote.
After the Scottish champions' condemnation, the Green Brigades did not remain obliged and continued their resistance with an attack on the club. "We as a sympathetic organization have the right to express our political worldview, just as every citizen of the world is allowed to do so," reads the official statement from the fans. "Football remains one of the few places where the working class can genuinely express their political views. An elitist management, which has repeatedly resisted Celtic's history and traditions, cannot stop this."
The Green Brigades are not silent about Celtic's response. Team fans/Screenshot, Twitter
The organization highlighted the history of the team and called the club hypocritical: "Celtic was born out of oppression, death and mass displacement of people. From this history, Celtic fans are known for their empathy and solidarity, consistently siding with the oppressed and destitute. Political messages were welcome at Celtic Park. The question in any reasonable mind should be, 'Why is Ukrainian life more sacred than Palestinian life?'"
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"We will continue to support the Palestinian people, sending solidarity and prayer to the Palestinians at a time when much of the international community is turning its back on cowardice," the Green Brigades continued. "We call for Celtic's support to stand on the right side of history. On October 25 against Atletico Madrid, we ask all Celtic fans to raise the Palestinian flag on the European stage and show the world that we stand with the oppressed, not the oppressors. If we are neutral in situations of injustice, we have chosen the side of the oppressor."
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