OSLO: Hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Oslo on Saturday, ahead of Israel’s World Cup qualifier against Norway, AFP journalists reported.
While chanting “Free Palestine”, many demonstrators wore Palestinian keffiyeh shawls draped over their shoulders and waved Palestinian flags as they gathered in the city centre before marching in a procession to Ullevaal Stadium. Smoke flares were lit, but the atmosphere remained calm.
“The message today is to say we give the red card to Israel, to apartheid, and to genocide,” said Line Khateeb, head of the Norwegian Committee for Palestine, one of the organisers of the protest.
“We do not accept football being used to whitewash war crimes, as we see today when Israel participates in the World Cup qualification games,” she told AFP.
Demonstrators carried banners reading “Exclude Israel from International Football,” “From the River to the Sea,” “Red Card to Israel,” and “It’s a Genocide, Not a War.”
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“Israel has been committing genocide for the last two years and killing indiscriminately, doing the most horrible things imaginable,” said Munib Sarwar, a 40-year-old engineer taking part in the protest.
“Personally, I think that if Russia is excluded, Israel should be as well,” she said in a Norwegian podcast.
Several days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, UEFA and FIFA agreed to exclude Russian teams and clubs from all international competitions, a sanction that remains in place.
The Norwegian Football Association has said it would donate proceeds from ticket sales for Saturday’s match to Doctors Without Borders.
With five victories in five matches, Norway top Group I of European qualifying with 15 points, ahead of Italy and Israel, who both have nine points.