Edgar Lee
During the May 31 finals of the Champions League, the most prestigious soccer club tournament in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans unfurled a banner reading “Stop genocide in Gaza,” with others holding Palestinian flags and scarves. PSG is a French soccer club whose fans have a history of expressing support for Palestine. Leading up to the match, they held a rally in Munich, Germany, chanting “We are all the children of Gaza!” In November 2024, during another Champions League match, they displayed a massive banner reading “Free Palestine.”
On May 25, a London women’s soccer final between Hamlet FC and Clapton CFC was canceled due to supporters of both teams waving Palestinian flags and a banner that read “Show genocide the red card.” After being requested to take down the flags and banner by stadium management, they refused, and Clapton’s players decided to forfeit the match in solidarity with Palestine, despite being up 2-0.
Also on May 31, Irish MMA fighter Paddy McCorry beat previously-undefeated Israeli fighter and IDF soldier Shuki Farage. While pinning Farage to the ground, McCorry shouted “Free Palestine!” in his face, with the crowd following suit and chanting “Free, free Palestine!” After his unanimous victory, McCorry held up a Palestinian flag, again shouting “Free Palestine!” Following his humiliating defeat, Farage made his Instagram account private, which hosts a photo of him in military uniform posing in front of destroyed buildings in Gaza.
During the Eurovision song contest held in Basel, Switzerland in mid-May, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s semi-final performance was booed by the crowd, which also waved Palestinian flags. Two protesters attempted to run on the stage during the performance, throwing red paint. According to viewers, Eurovision’s television broadcast had removed the boos in editing. Outside the opening ceremony of Eurovision 2025, protesters gathered against Israeli participation in the event, holding signs reading “Stop genocide,” “Singing while Gaza burns,” and “No music for murder.”
Eurovision 2025 has been in the eye of the Palestine solidarity movement since its announcement, with a petition calling for Israel’s exclusion from the contest containing 78 signatures from previous Eurovision contestants being published in May.
Throughout Europe, public opinion of Israel has continued to decline since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023. Research firm YouGov reports that less than one in five respondents think favorably of Israel in a survey conducted in several European countries throughout May, with every surveyed country having a higher rate of sympathy for Palestine than Israel. The sharpening of contradictions through armed resistance has made the US-Israel genocide more brazen and apparent, mobilizing millions around the world in solidarity with Palestinian liberation.
Image: Paris-Saint-Germain fans hold a banner reading “Stop genocide in Gaza.” Credit: @BasharInshasi on X.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
