Green Brigade hit back at Celtic 'hypocrisy' and urge fans to take pro-Palestine stance in Champions League tie

Prominent Celtic fans group The Green Brigade have hit back at the club’s statement condemning their pro-Palestine banners during Saturday’s match against Kilmarnock, accusing the board of “hypocrisy” and urging fellow supporters to take a stand in the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid later this month.

The Green Brigade – which have been pro-Palestine since the group’s inception – unfurled a banner during the match at Celtic Park last weekend that read "Free Palestine. Victory to the Resistance” and waved Palestinian flags on the weekend that hundreds of Israelis and Palestinian were killed as tensions escalated in the Gaza Strip region. While their support for Palestine has been unswerving before the attacks from Hamas, the move triggered a statement from Celtic on Monday night, telling fans that they should “not use Celtic Park as a vehicle for such messages” and asking that the “rights and beliefs of others” are respected. Celtic have an Israeli player in their ranks in Liel Abada.

The Green Brigade have now posted a lengthy statement in response, culminating in a plea to other Celtic fans to fly Palestine flags during the club’s next home match on October 25 against Atletico Madrid, claiming they want to “show the world that Celtic Football Club stands with the oppressed, not the oppressor”.

The full statement from The Green Brigade read: “Following a recent Celtic PLC statement, we would like to reiterate our unshakeable belief that we, and other football supporters, have the right to express political views on the terraces, just as ordinary citizens do elsewhere in society. Football remains one of the few areas of public life where working class people have genuine political agency, and we will not be dictated to by an elitist board that has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for the history and traditions of Celtic Football Club.

The Green Brigade hold up a banner for Palestine during the match between Celtic and Kilmarnock last weekend.

“Celtic was born out of famine and oppression, a product of colonial rule, death and the mass displacement of people. It is because of this history that Celtic fans are renowned for their empathy and solidarity; consistently siding with the oppressed and destitute. This fact is not lost on the PLC as it regularly flirts with the idea, particularly where it can be commodified, yet the board are quick to condemn when the views expressed challenge their worldview, disingenuously then proclaiming to be apolitical. The current hypocrisy of the PLC is sadly in step with much of the political and media class, epitomised through the example of Ukraine.

“Political messaging was welcome at Celtic Park then; yet it is being condemned now. The question on any reasonable mind should be why? Why are Ukrainian lives more sacred than Palestinian lives? The Green Brigade remains unequivocal in our support for the Palestinian people, as we have been consistently. We have supported various Palestinian projects throughout our history and for over a decade have developed a close relationship with Aida Refugee Camp culminating in the formation of the Aida Celtic football academy in Bethlehem.

“We send our sincere solidarity and prayers to our friends across all of Palestine at this traumatic time when yet again much of the international community turns its back in cowardice while war crimes are inflicted on a largely defenceless, imprisoned population. We call on the Celtic support - the true custodians of Celtic Football Club - to stand on the right side of history. In 2016, we defiantly raised the flag and matched the fine for Palestine. Now, more than ever, the Palestinian people need our solidarity. On 25th October, v Atletico Madrid, we ask all Celtic fans to raise the Palestine flag on the European stage and show the world that Celtic Football Club stands with the oppressed, not the oppressor.

“We must apply learning from apartheid South Africa to dismantle apartheid Israel - if we are neutral in situations of injustice, we have chosen the side of the oppressor. In the meantime, we encourage fans to donate to the MAP Gaza Emergency Fund.”