Israeli Footballers Assaulted by Pro-Palestinian Protesters During Match (Austria)

[Comrade Grumpy]

Source: Newsweek

Pro-Palestinian protesters rushed the pitch during a football match between French club Lille and Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in Bischofshofen, Austria last night, assaulting several players.

The game, a pre-season friendly, was interrupted in the 84th minute when around 20 people stormed the pitch, waving palestinian flags. The group attacked several Israeli players, including Maccabi Haifa captain Yossi Benayoun, reports The Local.

Video footage of the incident shows several of the protesters clashing with players as stewards and security hawl the protesters off the pitch. Full time was called at 86 minutes, with Lille leading 2 - 0 before the disruption.

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann condemned the protesters. “Guests who stay in Austria, have the right to do so in safety, regardless of their origin or their religious affiliation,” he said.

Maccabi Haifa issued a statement about the incident, complaining the team had “experienced an uncomfortable atmosphere of violence on the pitch and in the stands”, blaming the “incitement in Turkish media” as the cause of the attack. According to the club, the protesters “were mostly Turkish immigrants”.

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/israeli-footballers-assaulted-pro-palestinian-protesters-during-match-261031

[geek tragedy]

1. Turks show they're serious about European

integration by adopting European tradition of racist football hooliganism.

[KamaAina]

2. Too bad Luis Suarez doesn't play for Maccabi Haifa

[cosmicone]

3. This is so stupid

Palestinians have never recovered from the bad PR generated by the 1972 Munich olympics. Sports should be off limits to politics.

Palestinians should renounce violence and have a non-violent movement like Mahatma Gandhi in order to succeed in their demands. There is no military option against a very strong Israel.

[Swede Atlanta]

4. I doubt that would work......

I do not in any way condone the actions of these Palestinians. I can understand and appreciate their anger and frustration.

The problem with Israel is they are not the British. One of the biggest reasons the British finally walked away from India was they couldn't afford to fight and maintain the Empire.

As long as the U.S. serves as Israel's "sugar daddy" or Israel's "bitch" they will continue to slaughter Palestinians and be proud of it. The more killing the better.

We need to immediately terminate all aid to Israel including military, economic, intelligence sharing, etc. Israel would quickly discover they are not invincible. They are not as strong as they think they are.

I fully support Israel's right to exist and defend itself but at some point in time we have to realize that as long as we continue to show favoritism and provide Israel with the means of death for Palestinians they will never trust us as an honest broker. I do believe we are the only country that could possibly make this happen.

Clinton came close but didn't quite make it over the finish line. I would love to see this happen both for the benefit of Israelis and Palestinians. The people want peace. It is the politicians that love to pretend to show who is who by firing off their rockets, dropping their bombs. It is kind of like boys on the playground playing "who is bigger".

It is childish and accomplishes nothing. But for the Palestinians to just roll over and play Gandhi will never work with Israel as long as the U.S. continues to support them. They need to be totally self-supporting. They would soon learn war and killing will devastate their economy and push their citizens into the same kind of poverty as the Palestinians. That would bring them to the table.

[uwep]

5. You are wrong

The Palestinians along with most of the Arab world has attempted to erase Israel from the map since it was formed. Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, has been the worst. Hiding like cowards behind civilians. Causing their own people death and destruction. Why is Israel always blamed? If Hamas was sending rockets from Mexico into the U.S., would we just stand by and take it. These cowards use their own people and the media to save their own lives. These cowards are the same as ISIS. They kill and destroy out of ignorance and selfishness. Hamas and ISIS are one and the same. I am sick of Hamas they have been doing the same thing for as long as I can remember. If it were not for them, peace would have been accomplished. You can say what you like, until Hamas is gone there will never be peace in the region.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. Not cool at all

Hardly a "friendly". I'm not anti-immigrant at all but I think Turkish immigrants would be better off protesting their own situation in Austria and not attacking footballers who aren't soldiers and just happen to be Jewish.