Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) is reportedly to be sanctioned by the European Football Association (UEFA) for fans raising the Palestinian flag during a match between PSG and Maccabi Haifa FC on Tuesday, according to French newspaper L’Equipe.
Measures were set in place by authorities for the UEFA Champions League match, restricting the display of political signs such as the Palestinian and Israeli flags inside the stadium, in light of Israeli occupation’s continuous human right violations against Palestinians.
However, supporters of PSG FC still managed to smuggle the flags and banners to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
According to the French newspaper, UEFA is investigating the signs that were raised in the stands of by PSG fans, including a sign that read “Gaza exists, Gaza resists, Free Palestine.”
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An estimated 800 police were mobilised for the event, as per a tweet by police chief Laurent Nuñez.
This expression of support comes after Palestinian authorities announced that 6 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the city of Nablus, with over two dozen reported injuries.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Israeli forces raided the city of Nablus using dozens of armoured vehicles, leading to an exchange of fire with Palestinian resistance fighters and Palestinian Authority security forces.
Hundreds of youth also took to the streets to resist to presence of the Israeli military.
West Bank under attack by Israel
The West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin have been targeted on a near daily basis with raids, arrests and killings by Israeli forces over the past year due to the growing organisation of small armed resistance groups.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have killed 184 Palestinians since the beginning of the year, including 132 people in the occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank and 51 in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The death toll includes 41 children, 17 of whom were killed during Israel’s three-day assault on Gaza in August.
The United Nations has said that 2022 “is the highest year for Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank, compared to the same period in the previous 16 years”.