Pro-Palestine does not equal antisemitic

ELITE sport—especially on display at large-scale televised events—can provide a site for social, political and ideological messaging, including in the form of promotion, support, dissent or opposition. One of the most famous and iconic of such examples being at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when successful US athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith—supported by Australian silver medal winner—Peter Norman, took a symbolic stand against the deep and pervasive oppression of African-Americans. In more recent times—and in the wake of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in early 2022—around Europe some sports stadiums witnessed fans flying Ukrainian flags: representing condemnation of Russia and support for Ukraine. Kelly has also demonstrated how states can use sport for promoting ideology relating to past and present military exploits and campaigns, for example, by the USA and Great Britain.

A complex issue

Recognition of the wider history and presence of social, political and ideological promotion and dissension in sport provides context for reflection on supporters of Celtic Football Club in Scotland, and their decades long practice of flying Palestinian flags, referencing the ongoing devastating conflict involving Palestinians and Israel. The low-level activism of these supporters who, although living some 2500 miles away and having no historical or contemporary religious or ethnic connection to any of the main communities or nationalities there, intends to offer symbolic, moral, ideological and political backing for the Palestinian people. However, in the context of recent European history, it is worth asking whether this support for the Palestinians also entails antisemitism?

Generally, research demonstrates the widespread contemporary presence of anti-Jewish hostility, antagonism and racism in sport in numerous countries. In this context, and as the current contemporary turmoil relating to much of the world’s geo-politics demonstrates, it would seem the words of Anne Frank, the famous German-born Jewish girl and diarist writing in the period 1942-44, and who was killed at Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp, can appear ‘optimistic,’ even today: “I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness... And yet, when I look up to the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more.

The academic, Emma Poulton, has written on football fan cultures and has noted various nuances with regards what constitutes understandings and expressions of antisemitism. In this light, in considering the pro-Palestinian political activism of Celtic supporters and the possible corresponding presence of antisemitism in Scottish football, my recent research demonstrates the complexity of antisemitism—real or imagined—as well as its potential to be used as a political tool in relation to seeking a just end to the current conflict in the Middle East.

Survey of supporters

Having previously researched and written about nationalism and ethno-religious identities in and around football in Scotland, a year prior to the recent and ongoing utterly demoralising escalation of the historical Middle Eastern discord, I conducted a small-scale qualitative styled survey amongst Celtic supporters to gain insight regarding Palestinian flags and the noted hypothetical antisemitism. Initially, with a view to building understanding and knowledge about these topics, respondents were asked to rank which ethnic and religious groups generally in Scotland they thought faced most hostility. In the context of avoiding reference to British/Scottish Protestants and immigrant Irish descended Catholics—an obviously significant historical and contemporary reference in Scotland—Muslims (45 per cent), Pakistanis (23 per cent) and English (16 per cent) constituted most responses. Two-thirds of Pakistanis in Scotland are Muslim and Celtic respondents see this small number of Pakistanis and Muslims—at 77,000 or 1.4 per cent of the population and of similar size to Jews—subject to what they see and hear as the most expressed ethno-religious hostility and prejudice.

In the survey, Celtic supporters’ responses indicated a clear majority stating they were ‘emotionally and morally sympathetic with respect to Jewish people’s historical oppression and suffering.’ Only 7 per cent said they were not sympathetic, 25 per cent were generally sympathetic and 68 per cent said they were ‘strongly’ sympathetic. Relatedly, participants were also asked if they thought it possible to distinguish between the Jews of history and the modern state of Israel. All bar one answered Yes to this question, with 80 per cent stating ‘Yes Strongly.’

Fans were invited to express which side they believed was primarily or mostly responsible for the conflict in terms of Israelis and Palestinians? Only one person said both were equally to blame, with ‘all’ others stating Israel was culpable. One respondent said as a caveat: “If you go deeper into the origins of the conflict, you could assert that other players are responsible, for example the UK in helping to establish the state [of Israel].” Celtic supporters were asked if they agreed or disagreed with flying—sometimes hundreds of—Palestinian flags at Celtic games. A definitive nine out of ten said they concurred.

Celtic fans were also asked about antisemitism. Their answers demonstrated a perception of this as constituting ‘discrimination, hate and hostility’ against people that are Jewish, and/or have the Jewish faith as part of their socio-cultural and religious identities. Indeed, this understanding resembles the 2016 Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) ‘non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism.’

Eighty-eight percent of respondents also agreed with the statement that ‘the Israeli state is oppressing the Palestinian people and breaking much international law.’ Such understanding of which ethno-religious community is being persecuted in this conflict clearly providing for most supporters the rationale for flying Palestinian flags at Celtic games.

Flying the flag

For around three decades some and occasionally many Palestinian flags have flown amongst Celtic FC supporters at matches and wherever these fans gather; socially, politically and culturally. It has been extremely rare to see any other fans in British football exhibiting a Palestinian flag at football games. Other than at Celtic, recurrently, collectively and conspicuously, the activism involved in exhibiting these flags does not happen amongst fans at any other elite club in British football. That this occurs at Celtic can only be understood in the context of the Irish-Catholic immigrant ethno-religious origins, nature, make-up and socio-political culture of much of the historical and traditional Celtic support.

This research reveals and highlights irrefutable Celtic supporters’ backing for the perceived plight of the Palestinians, seen as being economically, socially, culturally, religiously, politically and militarily oppressed by the state of Israel. These views are dominant within the survey and by many other Celtic fans via their stated or unstated attitudes and actions in actively, passively backing, or at least not contesting, their fellow supporters’ flag flying. This was spectacularly demonstrated when in response to a UEFA fine for the club, because fans flew this flag at a 2016 European Champions League match, many supporters responded by raising much more than the actual UEFA fine and gave this to Palestinian charitable, cultural and sports projects.

The survey demonstrated that almost 9 out of 10 Celtic respondents believe the ‘Israeli state is oppressing the Palestinian people.’ Revealingly, these fans do not equate opposing the plight of the Palestinians as being against Jewish people or the Jewish faith. For them, standing up for Palestinians is not antisemitic. Based on support for fans flying the Palestinian flag, the thoughts and words expressed through answers to the survey, and further substantiated by other fan authored writings, Celtic supporters do not conflate antisemitism with criticism of the state of Israel. Indeed, they are more likely to actively express disassociation of one from the other.

In 2016, Celtic supporters’ actions were not viewed as antisemitic, involving racism or being against the Jewish faith, by Europe’s football authorities. Many fans see the West as supporting Israel as part of a perception of the international ‘real-politic’ of the 21st century. However, what they have clearly and profoundly opposed over at least the past three decades, is in this real-politic being at the expense of the tens of thousands of lost lives, as well as the quality of life, of millions of Palestinians.

Dr Joseph Bradley’s full exploration of this topic, ‘Taking sides in conflict and the question of antisemitism in Scottish football,’ can be found in the academic journal, Soccer & Society, Vol 25, Iss 4-6, 2024, pp 585-602, which can be accessed via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2024.2332085