From cycling races in Spain to basketball arenas in Poland, the fallout from the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza is increasingly spilling into sports and cultural life across Europe.
Protests and boycotts are mounting, echoing the measures once deployed against Apartheid-era South Africa and, more recently, Russia after the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
A major cycling race in Spain was disrupted by demonstrators opposing the participation of an Israeli team. In Poland, fans booed the Israeli anthem before a Eurobasket match. Several European broadcasters are also threatening to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if "Israel" is permitted to compete.
The backlash reflects a growing call to isolate "Israel" internationally over the unbearable death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Critics argue that "Israel" should face the same exclusion that Russia encountered in 2022, when its athletes were banned from major competitions and forced to compete under a neutral flag.
Spain’s bold stance
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sharpened the debate this week, declaring his support for pro-Palestine protesters who disrupted the Vuelta cycling race. Sanchez urged a ban on "Israel" from international sports until the “barbarity” in Gaza ceases.
His government’s position was quickly echoed by Spain’s public broadcaster, which joined three other European countries in threatening to withdraw from Eurovision.
“Why,” Sanchez asked pointedly, “shouldn’t Israel be expelled from sports just like Russia?”
Unsurprisingly, the call drew a harsh response from "Israel". Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced Sanchez as an “antisemite and a liar."
It is worth noting that "Israel" routinely invokes accusations of "antisemitism" whenever its atrocities in Palestine or its broader aggressions in West Asia come under scrutiny.
Global sports bodies back Israeli occupation
So far, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA have resisted calls to act, alleging that "Israel" has not violated the same legal thresholds Russia crossed by "annexing Ukrainian territory." “This is different,” said Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s executive director for the Olympic Games, when pressed in Milan this week.
The cultural front is equally fraught. Earlier this month, prominent Hollywood figures pledged to boycott Israeli film institutions. Meanwhile, Eurovision faces a potential rupture as broadcasters threaten to withdraw if "Israel" participates.
Whether these actions will crystallize into a formal sports and cultural boycott remains unclear. But from cycling roads in Spain to tennis courts in Canada, the message is growing louder: "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza is no longer being fought only by Palestinians on the battlefield; it is reshaping the global stage.
Source:Websites
