Despite the insistence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that this year’s tournament will remain apolitical, diplomatic tensions are already rising in Paris.
In Israel’s soccer match on July 24 against Mali, fans unfurled Palestinian flags and booed during Israel’s anthem. One viral video has shown a fan discussing the match, without mention of politics at first, before he is interrupted by an Israeli fan shouting “no politics here.” The fan proceeds to shout “Free Palestine,” a protest chant, eliciting curse words from the Israeli fans.
Attendees are polarized over Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, which began as a retaliation to Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, which saw 1,200 people killed and roughly 240 hostages taken. Since then, Is…