A Chilean club denounces the “genocide in Palestine”

The players of the Club Deportivo Palestino team, from the Chilean first division, took to the field this Sunday with a banner denouncing “genocide in Palestine” in their league match against Coquimbo Unidos, commemorating the first anniversary of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The action was carried out beyond the possibility of being punished of the Chilean National Professional Football Association (ANFP), which on previous occasions has punished the squad for expressing their support for the Palestinian cause.

The club, that is representing the Palestinian community in Chile, shared photos of the event on their social networks, where you can see the players holding a banner that reads slogan condemning the attacks in Gaza.

Chile is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora outside of the Arab world, with approximately 500,000 people who have fully integrated into Chilean society and have significant influence in the economic, political and social spheres.

The community supported the Palestinian cause and, consequently, Palestine Sports Club has adopted as part of its identity the defense of the rights of those people.

This is not the first time that the Chilean team has used football as a platform to show off. In 2014, the ANFP fined the Palestinian for wearing a uniform in which the number “1” formed a map of Palestine, which was interpreted as a political allusion and provoked protest reactions from pro-Israel groups in Chile.

Since then, any showing of the club in this regard is closely monitored by the Chilean football authorities.

The ANFP has yet to officially decide on the sanctions the club could eventually face, but precedents suggest Palestino could once again find himself at the center of controversy.

However, the club’s board reiterated that it will continue to support the Palestinian cause as a gesture of solidarity with its roots and its community.