One of the most notable reactions to the growing refugee crisis has been the incredible response by soccer fans. But not in Israel, where racist chants and placards tell a different and more hostile story.
The world of sport, particularly soccer, has really made a huge welcome effort across Western and Northern Europe.
In Germany, several leading soccer teams came onto their pitches wielding banners that read: “Refugees Welcome.” Their fans followed suit, dropping banners across their stadiums that welcomes refugees. The same could be seen in England, where fans dropped banners, too. Premiership team Arsenal donated ticket sales to charities supporting refugees, and right down at local team level, fans were not only dropping banners in welcome, but preparing welcome packages of food, clothing and other essentials.
However, Israeli soccer fans took a quite different approach to the matter. Fans of the Tel Aviv team, the Maccabis, dropped a banner over the weekend which read: “Refugees Not Welcome.”
Israel is disintegrating under the weight of its own fascism, while the world is watching. It cannot be long until either the world takes action, or yet another breathtaking injustice is perpetrated.