BDS organizations call for protests at Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv matches

A wave of protests and calls for a boycott is sweeping through Europe ahead of the Israeli teams' matches in European competitions this coming Thursday. In Switzerland and Italy, large-scale demonstrations by pro-Palestinian organizations are being organized against the arrival of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv. The protesters are demanding the cancellation of the matches and even the implementation of severe punitive measures, including the full suspension of Israeli teams from all UEFA and FIFA competitions.

In Italy, the BDS organization published an open letter demanding the cancellation of the meeting between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Atalanta at the stadium in Bergamo. In its letter, the organization claimed that holding the match constitutes normalization of the State of Israel's actions, while mentioning the number of athletes and children affected by the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Members of the organization made it clear that, in their view, holding the match is unjustified and called for the imposition of sanctions similar to those previously imposed on Russia and South Africa.

At the same time, tension in Switzerland is rising ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv's match against Lugano in the Conference League playoffs. Other organizations have called for a "clear, open, and determined" protest on the city's streets under the slogan "Stop the genocide." The organizations rejected the claim that sports should be separated from politics, pointed an accusing finger at the club's fans and their connection to the IDF, and promised that if the "yellows" arrive in Lugano, they will encounter a city ready to protest against them.

Also, on the local political level in Switzerland, serious concerns were raised regarding the security of the event. Members of the parliament in the canton of Ticino appealed to the State Council demanding clarifications regarding the risk assessment and the coordination of federal police forces. The legislators emphasized the need to prepare for the prevention of manifestations of racism, antisemitism, violence, and incitement to hatred, out of a desire to maintain public order and prevent the planned protests from deteriorating into violent confrontations on the streets.