Never has a volleyball match caused so much discord in Luxembourg. But the chance of the draw meant that the Bertrange club faced that of Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Challenge Cup, while the Middle East is sinking deeper into war every day, a year and a day after the massacres of October 7 and the outbreak of the deadly offensive in Gaza.
Suffice to say that the lights were red for a peaceful sporting evening near the Atert center this Tuesday. Especially since the match had been identified by pro-Palestinian organizations.
Illustration of the strong tensions around the meeting, accusations of discrimination targeted the Bertrange club, after the latter asked the transporter Vandivinit to avoid “if possible a driver of Muslim religion” to transport the players of the team of Tel Aviv.
Asked by The essentialsclub officials declined to comment, while the carrier’s lawyer tried to put out the fire, emphasizing that the company “does not tolerate discrimination or Islamophobia.” The demand was not met, he assures.
Despite the context, the players of the Israeli club arrived safely, where around fifteen police officers were mobilized to ensure security around the venue, in addition to supervising the thirty or so pro-Palestinian demonstrators. “Israeli teams must be banned from sports competitions, as was decided for the Russians. In addition, it costs the taxpayer money,” explained a member of BDS Luxembourg, which advocates the boycott of Israeli interests.
In addition to the police, security teams were dispatched in large numbers with strict instructions: a thorough search of spectators and a ban on allowing the introduction of any “political signs”, including Israeli and Palestinian flags.
Some tried it, and heated exchanges broke out. “Aren’t you ashamed to bring this flag of Israel?” said a demonstrator. A moment followed by a tense discussion on the number of children dead in Gaza.
Members of both camps also challenged each other by filming each other, but apparently no violence was reported. Likewise, the meeting ultimately won by Tel Aviv (3-1) was able to take place without a hitch. The demonstrators remained outside, relentlessly chanting their flagship slogans: “Israel kills, Luxembourg and Europe support, shame on you (…) Long live the intifada (…) From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
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