Celtic fans wave Palestinian flags at Champions League game after Israel's brutal Nablus assault

The New Arab Staff
27 October, 2022

Fans of Glasgow football team Celtic have shown their support for Palestinians again at a crunch Champions League match.

Celtic fans have frequently shown support for the Palestinian cause [Getty]

Celtic fans have shown their support for Palestinians again at a Champions League match on Tuesday, following brutal Israeli assaults on Nablus this week.

Supporters at Celtic Park's North Curve waved Palestinian flags and held a huge banner saying "Solidarity Nablus! Free Palestine!" at Celtic's Group F match against Ukrainian side FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

It follows deadly Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank this week, which saw six Palestinians, including a teenager, killed.

"Thank you the fans of @CelticFC for the [solidarity] and support with Nablus & 🇵🇸. The people of Palestine know they are not alone in the struggle to end oppression & injustice!" tweeted Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zumlot.

Celtic's support mostly comes from Scottish fans of Irish background who sympathise strongly with the Palestinian cause and see it as a reflection of their own struggle for a united Ireland.

Celtic ultras frequently show support for Palestinians at games, particularly European Champions League matches. This has resulted in fines from European football's governing body UEFA.

In 2014, the club was fined $20,750 by UEFA after dozens of fans waved Palestinian flags at a game against Icelandic side KR Reykjavik after a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza which killed over 2,000 Palestinians.