Celtic fined for fans’ display of Palestinian flags in UCL draw

Celtic have been fined £15,200 ($19,000) after their supporters waved Palestinian flags during their UEFA Champions League match against Atlético Madrid last month in Glasgow, the Celtics announced. UEFA on Wednesday.

The flags, which number in the hundreds, were considered “provocative messages of an offensive nature”, UEFA said in a statement.

Supporters, who had been warned by the Scottish club not to display flags ahead of the October 25 match, could be heard chanting “You’ll Never Walk Alone” while holding Palestinian flags in a video widely shared on Instagram .

Supporters also displayed two large banners at Celtic Park reading “Free Palestine” and “Victory for the Resistance”.

War broke out in early October, when several thousand Hamas militants broke through Israel’s formidable defenses and invaded the south, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking many more prisoners.

Israel responded with weeks of devastating airstrikes on Gaza, followed by a ground invasion. More than 11,000 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli offensive, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, although about two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

Celtic are fourth in UEFA Champions League Group E with one point after four matches.

They were also fined £10,000 for blocking crossings and using pyrotechnics.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.