More than 250 social organizationsof solidarity with Palestine and the Palestinian community in Madrid have demanded in a unitary manifesto the suspension of the party of the Euroleague basketball between Real Madrid and the Maccabi Tel Aviv scheduled for next Thursday, the 8th, at the Movistar Arena.
The call is framed in a initiative coordinated from Madrid and Barcelona and gives continuity to the demand recently formulated in the Catalan capital by more than 150 social entitiesa demand that has forced the celebration behind closed doors the match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi this Tuesday. And now he has achieved that Thursday’s match against the whites will also be behind closed doors.
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To the manifesto, which has been promoted by the solidarity entity with Palestine BDS Madridhave joined neighborhood and municipal platforms of the Community of Madrid in solidarity with Palestine, as well as neighborhood entities such as the Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Madrid (FRAVM).
Numerous organizations have joined
Organizations such as Ecologists in Action; unions like CCOO, UGT, CGT, Workers’ Solidarity, Tenants’ Union and the EMT Union Platform; as well as educational entities such as FAPA Giner de los Ríos y Marea Palestinein addition to numerous platforms in defense of public health.
The statement also has the support of parties on the political left, including More Madrid, Podemos, Izquierda Unida, Communist Party of Spain, Anticapitalists and Zero Cutsamong other formations.
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The signatory organizations denounce thatThe celebration of this sporting event “contributes to the international normalization of the State of Israell, currently investigated by the International Court of Justice for the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people.”
It involves the use of sport as an instrument to whiten a sustained policy of occupation, apartheid and extermination.
In his opinion, the participation of teams representing Israel in international sports competitions “it involves the use of sport as an instrument to whiten a sustained policy of occupation, apartheid and extermination.”
Barça-Maccabi, behind closed doors
In this sense, they remember that “The pressure exerted by social entities and the popular movement in Barcelona has already had concrete consequencesensuring that the match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv, scheduled for January 6, will be played behind closed doors.”
For the signatory organizations, this precedent “shows that social mobilization can stop normalization and force institutions and sports organizations to react.
Sport cannot be outside of international crimes nor can it rely on a supposed neutrality.
Furthermore, the signatory entities add that “Sport cannot stand aside from international crimes or rely on supposed neutrality. “Allowing this match to be held, they maintain, represents a form of political and symbolic complicity.”
For all this, they demand that institutions “adopt the necessary administrative and political measures to prevent the celebration of the match between Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Movistar Arena and they call for participation in the mobilizations called on January 8 in front of the sports venue.”
