Ahead of the opening event for the 2028 European Championship in Great Britain and Ireland, a group of activists in the famous Piccadilly Circus called for Israel to be excluded from European football.
About 50 people accused the European Football Union UEFA of having blood on its hands. “Shame, UEFA,” people shouted, some wearing paper masks with the face of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
The activists demonstrated for a free Palestine. The Middle East conflict has repeatedly occupied world football in recent months. Most recently, the Irish Football Association Fai decided to request the exclusion of Israel from the UEFA Executive Committee. According to dpa information, discussions on this are not currently on the agenda.
Loud protest
The 2028 European Championship will be hosted jointly by England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Even at the start of the opening event in London, where the game plan was presented, the activists’ protests could still be heard.
Irish politicians had repeatedly spoken out in favor of a Palestinian state and condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. During the Israeli offensive, triggered by the massacre of Israelis by terrorists including the terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip.