UEFA Accused of Promoting Jewish “Blood Libel” With “Stop Killing Children” Banner
UEFA is under fire for pushing the “blood libel” myth that Jews kill children, after showing a “Stop Killing Children – Stop Killing Civilians” banner on the pitch before the Super Cup. The Mail has the story.
The banner was shown during the opening ceremony of Wednesday’s showpiece between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur – with it being unfurled by nine refugee children from different conflict zones (Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine and Ukraine).
Ahead of the match at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy; European football’s governing body announced that two refugee children from the Israel-Gaza War were going to take to take part in the medals ceremony too.
And following on from the events in Udine, Israeli football figures called out the banner gesture as “hypocritical”, according to Israeli outlet, JFeed. They add that an official also demanded to know “Where were you on October 7th?” as tensions continue during that conflict.
Under their own rules, UEFA state that political messages can not be promoted in stadiums before, during or after matches.
A UEFA insider told the Timesthat the message was “not political but about humanity – in fact you could say it is just common sense”. …
From the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, the message is loud and clear.
In the past club’s displaying political banners have been punished by UEFA, with Celtic fined £8,635 (€10,000) for the displaying of an “illicit banner” during a match against Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva in September 2016. Palestinian flags were visible during the Champions League play-off first leg at Celtic Park on August 17th, 2016.
However, UEFA chose to not sanction the Scottish giants earlier this year during their Champions League play-off first-leg against Bayern Munich.
That February 12th, 2025 match saw a banner relating to Israel was unveiled by supporters at half-time and remained in place for the majority of the second half. Hundreds of Celtic fans held up red sheets of paper in the seats below where the banner -–which read “Show Israel the red card” – was displayed.
This starts to become seriously ridiculous. The “blood libel” story is/ was a part of tradtional Christian antisemitism in Europe. The chances are extremely high that none of the people involved with this save the accusers even know about that, the people who organized the display are certainly not church-backed and and as certainly never claimed that Jews would kidnap Christian children to torture them to death during secret, religious rituals.
JDee
8 months ago
Isn’t the thing about football crowd is that they chant for their side . The ban on political messaging, because politics has a moral element is that this would become chanting for their side right or wrong . The statement is clearly unnuanced and so at the chanting level. It implies the direct targeting of children by ……….. Fill in the blanks yourself.
It implies the direct targeting of children by ……….. Fill in the blanks yourself.
To recently landed alien visitor from planet Zork, it might possibly imply that. But to anyone who’s at least remotely familiar with the situation, it’s just the claim that children & civilians end up as collateral kills of the bombing war in Gaza and that the people directing that don’t care much about this¹.
¹ I do not claim that this is either right or wrong.
Where is the big money in Football? Hence, ridiculous World Cups in the desert.
Richard Austin
8 months ago
That is a political statement. Only a numbskull Leftie fuckwit could think otherwise. Even Smarmer’s speech writers would think about it before they told him to say it. Okay, I exaggerate, but you get the point.
It obviously is and as such, it should have no place at a football match.
Curio
8 months ago
Nothing strange here. UEFA and its clones in the UK obliged their stooges to take the knee to BLM, a criminal, passionately antisemitic organisation (which reminds me of the photo of two senior politicians also obliging).
soundofreason
8 months ago
Fifa fines England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland over poppies
In 2016 FIFA (OK, not UEFA) banned the wearing of poppies by the British football teams as a ‘political’ symbol. The poppy symbol is associated with the phrase ‘lest we forget’. FIFA did rescind the ban the following year – obviously it was less political in 2017.
Heretic
8 months ago
QUESTION to UEFA: What’s this got to do with European Football?
UEFA ANSWER: It’s a good way to distract the public from The Muslim Army swarming in to destroy the whole of European Civilization.
EARLGRAY
8 months ago
A UEFA ‘insider’ said that the message was ‘not political but about humanity’. Of course it was political but more than that it reeks of hypocrisy. ‘Stop killing children’ is a very broad statement but I presume that it means stop killing ALL children. A very worthy objective but it does not specify who it is who are killing the children (but we all know). I would imagine that every country which is a member of EUFA permits legal abortion and I would guess that the annual total of abortions within EUFA will be close to a million (In the UK the latest annual figure is about 250,000 and now parliament has just voted to permit abortion up to birth – a monstrous law). So, we have in the UEFA countries laws which allow the legal killing of children but some unnamed country (but we all know which it is) draws down the wrath of UEFA for killing poor little innocent children. This is not a comment on the rights and wrongs of abortion which is a contentious subject in its own right but about the sheer hypocrisy of this banner from a self-righteous group which needs to pay attention… Read more »
john ball
8 months ago
Presumably it was a surprise to the Spurs, otherwise of all clubs they should have walked off the pitch
Gezza England
8 months ago
It would have been great to see the Spurs team see the banner and then turn around and walk back off again. If not that, then seeing the terrorist children on the podium they should have left the pitch given that they did not win anyway who wants a losers medal.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
This starts to become seriously ridiculous. The “blood libel” story is/ was a part of tradtional Christian antisemitism in Europe. The chances are extremely high that none of the people involved with this save the accusers even know about that, the people who organized the display are certainly not church-backed and and as certainly never claimed that Jews would kidnap Christian children to torture them to death during secret, religious rituals.
Isn’t the thing about football crowd is that they chant for their side . The ban on political messaging, because politics has a moral element is that this would become chanting for their side right or wrong . The statement is clearly unnuanced and so at the chanting level. It implies the direct targeting of children by ……….. Fill in the blanks yourself.
It implies the direct targeting of children by ……….. Fill in the blanks yourself.
To recently landed alien visitor from planet Zork, it might possibly imply that. But to anyone who’s at least remotely familiar with the situation, it’s just the claim that children & civilians end up as collateral kills of the bombing war in Gaza and that the people directing that don’t care much about this¹.
¹ I do not claim that this is either right or wrong.
Global muslim population: 1.9 billion
Global Jewish population. 16 million
It’s good business.
I think we can agree the children are not their primary concern but rather a handy marketing instrument.
Where is the big money in Football? Hence, ridiculous World Cups in the desert.
That is a political statement. Only a numbskull Leftie fuckwit could think otherwise. Even Smarmer’s speech writers would think about it before they told him to say it. Okay, I exaggerate, but you get the point.
It obviously is and as such, it should have no place at a football match.
Nothing strange here. UEFA and its clones in the UK obliged their stooges to take the knee to BLM, a criminal, passionately antisemitic organisation (which reminds me of the photo of two senior politicians also obliging).
Fifa fines England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland over poppies
In 2016 FIFA (OK, not UEFA) banned the wearing of poppies by the British football teams as a ‘political’ symbol. The poppy symbol is associated with the phrase ‘lest we forget’. FIFA did rescind the ban the following year – obviously it was less political in 2017.
QUESTION to UEFA: What’s this got to do with European Football?
UEFA ANSWER: It’s a good way to distract the public from The Muslim Army swarming in to destroy the whole of European Civilization.
A UEFA ‘insider’ said that the message was ‘not political but about humanity’. Of course it was political but more than that it reeks of hypocrisy. ‘Stop killing children’ is a very broad statement but I presume that it means stop killing ALL children. A very worthy objective but it does not specify who it is who are killing the children (but we all know). I would imagine that every country which is a member of EUFA permits legal abortion and I would guess that the annual total of abortions within EUFA will be close to a million (In the UK the latest annual figure is about 250,000 and now parliament has just voted to permit abortion up to birth – a monstrous law). So, we have in the UEFA countries laws which allow the legal killing of children but some unnamed country (but we all know which it is) draws down the wrath of UEFA for killing poor little innocent children. This is not a comment on the rights and wrongs of abortion which is a contentious subject in its own right but about the sheer hypocrisy of this banner from a self-righteous group which needs to pay attention… Read more »
Presumably it was a surprise to the Spurs, otherwise of all clubs they should have walked off the pitch
It would have been great to see the Spurs team see the banner and then turn around and walk back off again. If not that, then seeing the terrorist children on the podium they should have left the pitch given that they did not win anyway who wants a losers medal.