Ok. Cool. Let’s read the article together shall we?
At Israel’s soccer opener, the Olympic spirit never felt so distant
PARIS — The match couldn’t happen until armed guards escorted the Israelis to the grounds.
Not until Police Nationale patted down every spectator before they entered Parc des Princes stadium. Not until cops on horses patrolled the perimeter and even more on motorbikes honked cyclists out of their way. Certainly not until the gendarmerie — several clutching weapons that seemed more appropriate for battlefields than the boulevards of Paris — made it clear that this meeting between Israel and Mali would not be a normal Olympic soccer match.
And then, this event could not happen until the national anthems blared inside the open-air stadium, echoing into the night. After Mali’s national song played, the Israeli anthem began. So did the jeers. That’s when a group made its presence known. A group that occupied a front row of the stands because its members saw this Olympic soccer match as an attempt to whitewash the brutality of war. Each person in the group wore a white T-shirt with a single letter written boldly in black. When they stood together, their shirts spelled out “FREE PALESTINE.” Israel’s song played on; those in attendance who held up their white-and-blue flags with the Star of David just sang louder.
When a peloton of police, men and women packing assault rifles and pro-Palestine protesters all show up to a soccer stadium, the Olympic spirit of unity seems distant, almost imagined. The games just feel like 90 minutes of distraction. The numbing effect prescribed because the volume of voices has only gotten louder since Hamas and other militant groups committed war crimes against Israeli civilians and since Israel’s response has drawn condemnation from the top court of the United Nations.
Despite the war in Gaza, they played soccer here. In the first half, a small crew of people in front of the media area brought out their Palestine flags. A man wore a yellow sticker with a phrase that translated to: “Genocide is not a sport … Boycott Israel at the Paris Olympics!” Men in purple and black “Securite” vests quickly appeared and told him to remove the sticker. Later, when Mali defender Hamidou Diallo kicked the ball into his own net, several Israel fans turned and cheered in the direction of the group that had sneaked their Palestinian flags past security. When Cheickna Doumbia scored the equalizer, those fans jumped and screamed for Mali. Every chant, every celebration, every expression of passion seemed to be about more than soccer.
The day before this match, a large group of anti-Israel protesters gathered in the Place de Clichy neighborhood, near a bookstore and a fast food place that featured a life-size image of former NBA star Tony Parker promoting “Le French Burgers.” A woman with white hair held the megaphone. As she spoke, a parade of women with somber faces pushed strollers that were all but empty, except for a photo of a dead or injured child.
For those protesters, they do not see Liel Abada as the promising young forward. Nor the player who left his Scottish-based team for Charlotte FC after some Celtic fans demonstrated, holding a pro-Palestine banner at a home match. Because Abada was born in the central region of Israel and plays on the national team, they view him solely as a potential recruit for the Israel Defense Forces and a reason all those strollers are empty. (The country requires every citizen over 18 to serve in its army.)
“We’ve been protesting every day for four weeks now,” said Soufiane M., a protester who requested to use only his first name after one of the organizers noticed he was giving an interview to a reporter. “Despite all of this, we still have the presence of all the Israel athletes here in France. And we have to be aware that in Israel, military service is mandatory. So all these athletes are also part of the IDF, they’re also part of the genocide happening now in Gaza, and this is what we’re fighting for.”
Abada arrived at Parc des Princes under heightened security. He heard the booing during his country’s anthem. If he happened to gaze behind his team’s sideline and into the crowd, he would have noticed the presence of Palestine flags — and even a watermelon floatie, a nod to the popular symbol of pro-Palestinian protesters. Yet, Abada said he’s centered on just the games.
“We don’t look about what’s going on outside in the stadium; we just want to play our football and to make our fans and our people in Israel proud,” Abada said. “We came here just to play football. The team staff speaks with us a lot about it, and we just need to be focused on football and that’s it.”
The Opening Ceremonies aren’t until Friday night. Still, the Games didn’t need an official start before the geopolitical conflicts crashed the gates of the party. Every time the Israeli national team takes the field or a Palestinian athlete wears their national colors or a Russian or Belarusian competitor stands under a neutral flag, we’ll be reminded how the world doesn’t stop burning simply because we have lit the Olympic flame.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/07/25/israel-olympics-soccer-mali-protesters/
The Washington Post is shit. I will not argue against that. But next time let’s read the article and reflect on what we read. Neither you nor the OP you took this from read it. The only shite I’m seeing is the author calling Hamas out on its crimes but Israel only got under criticism? Ok fair enough. That’s bullshit.
But the overall article and especially its closing lines are beautifully depressing and reflect the feeling a lot of us have right now. Weltschmerz.
It looks like the second one is still saying sports don’t make up for their genocide…
It’s hard to just go off headlines, but Qatar and Israel are both shitty governments, and it looks like that’s what the author is saying.
One country is spending billions try to create positive PR, the other country just participates in sports, organized and paid by whatever country. The second is not sportswashing, it is just sports.
If Israel starts buying teams and leagues and organizing World Cups even though it is a somewhat small country with 40C+ temperature during summer, then we could talk about sportswashing. At best Israel does a little bit of pinkwashing but thats a different thing. And i am kinda ok with that, because thats for human rights. While if Qatar or KSA dont spend billions, someone will host those games anyway, in a more natural location(with more appropriate climate, more fans, etc).
If Israel starts buying teams
Does a UCI ProTeam cycling team cofounded and co-owned by a Republican American billionaire who says “We want to continue to put Israel on the map internationally and in cycling, like we did until now with the sport diplomacy.” count? I’d say it definitely does.
Just in case you think that’s a normal thing that lots of countries with no significant history of human rights violations do rather than blatant sports washing, these are the other countries that own a cycling team in one of the two top divisions:
Kazakhstan: Astana
Bahrain: Team Bahrain Victorious
United Arab Emirates: UAE Team Emirates
Russia: Gazprom RusVelo (now defunct for obvious reasons)
At best Israel does a little bit of pinkwashing
A LITTLE? That’s one of the main Zionist whataboutisms, despite the fact that same sex marriage is still illegal in Israel!
And i am kinda ok with that, because thats for human rights
The hell it is! If Israel cared about the human rights of LGBTQ+ people, they’d allow same sex marriage and stop using the community as a shield against correct accusations of countless atrocities against other minority groups.
Also, blackmailing people into informing on their neighbors isn’t actually a way to express affection where I’m from…
Does a UCI ProTeam cycling team cofounded and co-owned by a Republican American billionaire who says “We want to continue to put Israel on the map internationally and in cycling, like we did until now with the sport diplomacy.” count? I’d say it definitely does.
Ask a random person on the street to name 1 cycling team, they wont be able to do so. Ask them to name 10 football teams and they will do that with ease. And most of them will be arab owned. The scale is not the same. Maybe you are an american and you arent aware what has happened to european football teams.
And they are doing the same with esports too and probably other sectors which i am not aware. That on its own isnt issue, the issue comes from why they are doing that.
If Israel cared about the human rights of LGBTQ+ people, they’d allow same sex marriage and stop using the community as a shield against correct accusations of countless atrocities against other minority groups.
Israel is a very divided society. They have extremely conservative religious people and super liberal ones. You cant force change like that, change takes time.
The same can be said for KSA. I am sure there are plenty of saudis who are kinda liberal and dont really care about oppressing gay people and women. I dont expect MBS to give women freedom to do what they want, i know that isnt feasible in today’s KSA. And while this is a huge issue, it is mostly out of KSA’s leadership hand. What is feasible to change and what makes KSA really deplorable is how they treat opposition and their promotion of islamic extremism.
If you are going around threatening and murdering opposition, thats a big issue. At least Israel has democracy, which is a big achievement. Even if it is only for its jewish population. And it is the only democracy in the area. Funnily enough, the other state that had somewhat democracy in the area was Syria. Hence the syrian protests, etc. Egypt also almost became democratic, but the West didnt approve a muslim government, hence the government was overthrown.
KSA does not have democracy and its rulers are naturally very insecure about their regime. They need local and foreign support. They buy local support through bribing and violence, they buy foreign support through bribing/buying shit(sports, military expenditure, etc).
Ask a random person on the street to name 1 cycling team, they wont be able to do so
In the US, sure. It’s very big in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere, though.
Ask them to name 10 football teams and they will do that with ease
Probably
And most of them will be arab owned
That’s a whataboutism. That Arab countries sportswash doesn’t mean that Israel doesn’t.
The scale is not the same
The scale is irrelevant. Sportswashing is sportswashing whether it’s one cycling team or the entire American and Saudi leagues suddenly being filled with superstars from European clubs.
Maybe you are an american and you arent aware what has happened to european football teams.
I’m not and I’m very much against sportswashing no matter who does it.
Israel is a very divided society. They have extremely conservative religious people and super liberal ones. You cant force change like that, change takes time.
I’m talking about the Israeli government coalition, which has full control and consists ONLY of theocratic fascists and less religiously motivated fascists.
They’re the ones in charge of denying LGBTQ+ people rights, they’re the ones in charge of committing daily atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank and they’re the ones in charge of the Hasbara gaslighting you’ve fallen for.
The same can be said for KSA
You’re going to defend Saudi Arabia too, now? Yikes! 😬
I am sure there are plenty of saudis who are kinda liberal and dont really care about oppressing gay people and women.
Yes, but they’re not in charge so they’re not the ones we blame for the atrocious actions of the Royal family and their representatives.
I dont expect MBS to give women freedom to do what they want, i know that isnt feasible in today’s KSA
He’s an autocratic monarch ffs! If he wants it, it happens no matter how little the clergy likes it.
And while this is a huge issue, it is mostly out of KSA’s leadership hand
No, it isn’t. Stop covering for the barbaric regime.
At least Israel has democracy, which is a big achievement
Democracy for some but not others isn’t real democracy. Did you consider Apartheid South Africa a democratic country?
which is a big achievement
Not really, no. It’s the norm for rich modern countries, which Israel is. You might as well give them credit for having trains or public swimming pools.
Even if it is only for its jewish population.
So you’re fine with an Apartheid ethnostate so long as the people who belong to the right ethnicity/religion get to help decide who abuses the others?
Doesn’t sound like you care about democracy that much, if at all.
And it is the only democracy in the area
Nope. That’s also pure Hasbara gaslighting used to excuse the daily crimes against humanity committed by the fascist apartheid regime.
Funnily enough, the other state that had somewhat democracy in the area was Syria. Hence the syrian protests, etc. Egypt also almost became democratic, but the West didnt approve a muslim government, hence the government was overthrown
Pure Islamophobic propaganda.
Except for the part about the US, which is also wrong but not Islamophobic. As much as the US loves overthrowing democratically elected governments, this one was the Egyptian military acting alone.
KSA does not have democracy
So you ARE capable of saying true things! Bravo!
its rulers are naturally very insecure about their regime
On the contrary. It’s the fact that they have absolute power which is not threatened that allows them to act with such impunity.
They need local and foreign support.
They have full local control already. There’s like a thousand princes ruling their own smaller fiefdoms, all subservient to MBS.
As for foreign support, they have no problem buying that with oil, money, and sportswashing.
Just like Israel gets foreign support by buying politicians, sportswashing, and the biggest propaganda operation since the cold war if not ever.
Just one of many things you have to put up with as an Arab.
