Palestine protesters rally at Hampden over Barclays partnership

Dec 17

Campaign group, Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card, gathered outside Scotland’s National Stadium, Hampden, last Sunday, opposing its new Barclays partnership. Protestors described the deal as “sportwashing” as the bank supports investments in Israeli military funding.

*Protestor outside Hampden park with a placard that reads “no business with bloodshed”*

By Samar Jamal | Photos by Jim Campbell and Fraser Kerr

Palestine protestors gathered outside of Hampden Stadium in Mount Florida on Sunday, in protest of the stadium's partnership with Barclays banks, which has links to the Israeli military.

Earlier this month the bank announced their multi-million pound investment in Scotland’s National Stadium.

The protest, organised by Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card (SIRC), was in reaction to what they described as a “dirty deal”.

Palestine Solidarity Palestine, explains that “Barclays has an agreement with Israel to act as a 'primary dealer' for its government bonds. This means it helps Israel directly to raise money to fund its genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.”

The campaign group, which is working towards the sporting and cultural boycott of Israel, feel that “football is political, whether we like it or not. Especially in the experiences of Palestinians who have lost over 800 of their athletes through murder by Israeli bombs, many funded by Barclays. They have also had 288 sports facilities completely or partially destroyed by the occupation forces.”

The bank has been investing in Scottish football over the past 10 years as part of a £10 million investment deal but until now this has been with smaller grassroots football clubs.

Mothers Against Genocide (MAG), an inclusive group of mothers organising against the genocide in Gaza, were also pictured infront of the stadium with prams, representing the thousands of children that have been killed in Gaza. UNICEF reports that over 64000 children have been killed and injured in Israeli attacks in the last two years.

Red Card feel that this deal, which has also meant the stadium has been renamed to Barclays Hampden, was done without consulting fans and is a form of sportswashing of Israeli crimes.

This term is similar to greenwashing – where companies align themselves with environmental causes to hide their own environmental impact, or pinkwashing – in which companies or countries will superficially use LGBT rights as a distraction for human rights violations.

Josephine, a Southside resident who attended the protest, was also frustrated by the lack of consultation. She said, “How dare they rename our national stadium without any consultation? Particularly to a multinational company, which is so disastrous for the environment and for the military industrial complex. Particularly when it comes to Gaza, by supporting Israel's armament.”

Another protestor, Izzie, said she’s angered by the partnership. She’s not a football fan but went along to Sunday’s protest because: “Barclays are right at the top of companies who are actively enabling Israel in its genocide in Palestine”, mentioning the UN’s report on “corporate machinery sustaining the Israeli settler-colonial”.

Izzie lives ten minutes from the stadium and feels that Scotland’s National Stadium should be a safe place for the local community and fans, but with the current partnership, it doesn’t feel like it is.

A spokesperson for Red Card Glasgow added, “This investment is a pittance compared to the £6 billion that Barclays invested in supplying weapons and military technology to Israel in order to murder thousands of people in Gaza and destroy countless homes.

“Football fans with a conscience and those living near the national stadium should be outraged by this blood money deal that makes Scotland complicit in the genocide.”

A member of the Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) also raised their concerns about the new partnership. In a letter published by SFSA, which acts as a union representing Scottish football fans and their views, voiced that the partnership is a “short-sighted decision, which places Scottish football firmly on the wrong side of history.”

The letter also calls out Alan Stewart, the Head of Wellbeing and Protection at the SFA, for his promise that “‘Scottish football will continue to prioritise the rights, safety and wellbeing of children and young people’”, which the writer feels contradicts SFA’s actions as the they continue their deal with a bank that supports the supply of weapons for the Israeli military.

The Scottish Football Association, the body which represents Hampden Stadium, were approached for a comment but did not respond.

Palestine protestors gathered outside of Hampden Stadium in Mount Florida on Sunday, in protest of the stadium's partnership with Barclays.