St Pauli Fail Palestinians By Pat Harrington

525 words, 3 minutes read time.

German football fans are renowned for their vocal stances on social and political issues, advocating for minorities, oppressed peoples, and the working class. This solidarity transcends football, fostering global supporter unity and numerous club partnerships, rallying behind causes that impact communities both within and outside of football. A prime example of this is the Hamburg-based club St. Pauli. Despite rarely featuring in Germany’s top division, St. Pauli boasts a substantial global fan base drawn to the club’s left-wing politics and commitment to social issues.

St. Pauli’s guiding principles emphasize the importance of its active fan base in promoting the emotional and marketable aspects of football. The club accepts its social responsibility, advocating for the interests of its members, employees, supporters, and volunteers beyond the realm of sport. This intertwining of politics and football is evident, with fans playing a crucial role in the club’s brand and marketability.

However, a rift has emerged between St. Pauli’s local fan groups and its international supporters over the issue of showing support for Palestine. International fans have shown strong support for Palestinians, particularly in response to Israel’s recent and intense assault on the Gaza Strip. This support has been met with caution, and in some cases, condemnation from St. Pauli’s local fans. For instance, a banner displayed at a game reading, “From Gaza to Glasgow, fight anti-semitism! Free Palestine from Hamas!” was a thinly veiled critique of St. Pauli’s official supporters’ club in Glasgow, which has openly supported Palestinians and criticized the Israeli government’s actions.

International St. Pauli supporters, including groups from Liverpool, Chicago, Athens, and Glasgow, have issued statements condemning Hamas’ terrorism while expressing solidarity with Palestinian civilians. They assert that they share no affinity with Hamas and despise the group, seeing it as a tragic result of the policies enforced in Palestinian territories. Their stance is clear: they stand with the Palestinian people, particularly those suffering under bombings.

In contrast, St. Pauli’s local fan base appears to be sidestepping the ongoing imperialist oppression of Palestinians by the right-wing Israeli government and its Western backers. Instead, they are unfairly targeting international supporters with accusations that could be misinterpreted as associating them with anti-semitism. This is ironic, given St. Pauli’s long-standing record of standing with oppressed peoples and the left-wing media’s history of vilifying any support for Palestine with anti-semitism smears.

On October 24, St. Pauli’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) released a statement acknowledging the Israeli attacks on Gaza as a response to the October 7 Hamas attacks. While it did not outright condemn the Israeli government, it did highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for humanitarian aid for all affected civilians.

For many fans, this statement might serve as a starting point for finding common ground. However, as long as there is strong international support for Palestine coupled with condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions, reaching a unified stance accepted by local fans in Hamburg will be challenging.

This controversy reveals a rare struggle within St. Pauli’s usually united left-wing support. The club and its supporters are grappling with finding a common stance on solidarity with the oppressed, something that is deplorable and shameful. There is no excuse for failing to stand with the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination.

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