Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has come to the defense of footballer Lamine Yamal, who faced accusations of inciting hatred against Jewish people from the Israeli government. Yamal garnered significant international attention this week after he was seen holding the Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s La Liga trophy parade.
The 18-year-old prodigy raised the Palestinian flag from Barcelona’s open-top bus as it paraded through the city streets. This action drew criticism, initially from Hansi Flick, and more severely from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. Katz accused the young player of deliberately inciting hatred against Israel and Jewish people by showing support for what he termed a terrorist organization.
Spanish Prime Minister Responds to Israeli Accusations
In response to Katz’s social media statement, Prime Minister Sanchez took to X (formerly Twitter) to support the Spanish international. Sanchez, who has been a vocal world leader regarding the Israeli invasion of Gaza and has accused Israel of human rights violations, directly addressed the accusations against Yamal.
“Those who consider waving the flag of a State to be ‘inciting hatred’ have either lost their judgment or have been blinded by their own disgrace,” Sanchez stated. “Lamine has only expressed the solidarity with Palestine felt by millions of Spaniards. Another reason to be proud of him.”
Palestinian Artists Show Support for Lamine Yamal
Meanwhile, in Palestine, Lamine Yamal’s gesture of solidarity has been met with celebration. Reports, including from MD, highlighted a mural in Palestine depicting Yamal with the Palestinian flag. Footage from Teledeporte also showed an artist painting a mural of Yamal holding the flag on a concrete block.
Despite calls from Katz for Barcelona to distance themselves from Yamal’s actions, the club has not yet issued any official comment or reaction to the incident. During the parade, several Estelades, flags advocating for Catalan independence, were also visible on the team bus.
