The Palestinian national soccer team faced off Saturday against the Basque Country team in Bilbao in a friendly match intended to show local solidarity with Palestinians. Before kickoff, Palestinian players posed with a sign reading, “Stop genocide.”
Next week, Palestine will play another exhibition match against Catalonia’s regional team. According to AFP, these are the first games the Palestinian national team has played in Europe, facing teams that represent separatist regions seeking independence. Neither the Basque Country nor Catalonia is affiliated with UEFA or FIFA and therefore does not participate in official international competitions.
Protesters in Bilbao
(Video: from X)
Mass pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place across Spain during the war in Gaza. Ahead of Saturday night’s match at San Mamés Stadium, which is expected to draw a crowd of 50,000, thousands participated in a solidarity rally through the streets of Bilbao.
Signs at the protest included messages such as “Basque Country, Palestine — Free Lands! Stop the genocide!” A large banner depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being kicked in the head by a masked “soccer player,” alongside the words “Israel is a terrorist state.”
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Crowds protest in Bilbao before friendly match
(Photo: REUTERS/Pankra Nieto , Arce/Getty Images, ANDER GILLENEA / AFP)
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The crowd at the stadium in Bilbao
(Photo: REUTERS/Pankra Nieto , Arce/Getty Images, ANDER GILLENEA / AFP)
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A sign with the image of Benjamin Netanyahu and the caption: 'Israel is a terrorist state'
(Photo: REUTERS/Pankra Nieto)
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and formed the words “SOS Gaza” in large letters. The rally was held in part outside the Hotel NYX, which is Israeli-owned.
According to AFP, proceeds from the match will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
First published: 00:18, 11.16.25