Nir Bitton Criticizes Green Brigade Over Pro-Palestine Display

 

Nir Bitton Criticizes Green Brigade Over Pro-Palestine Display

Nir Bitton Voices Disapproval of Green Brigade's Pro-Palestine Banners

Nir Bitton, the Israeli midfielder, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Green Brigade, a Celtic fan group, for displaying pro-Palestine banners ahead of the recent match against Kilmarnock. This occurrence has taken place amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with Israel having declared war on the Palestinian group Hamas. The banners that were raised by Celtic fans bore the messages: "Free Palestine" and "Victory To The Resistance," and were accompanied by Palestinian flags.

It's worth noting that this is not the first time the Green Brigade has shown solidarity with Palestine at Celtic Park. A previous instance occurred during a European match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, resulting in a fine from UEFA. However, in response to that fine, Celtic supporters rallied together, raising over £130,000 for various Palestinian charitable causes.

Bitton's displeasure stems from the decision to display these banners, which he perceives as endorsing terrorism. He took to Instagram to air his grievances, saying, "Shame on you! Yes, free Gaza from Hamas, not from Israel. Supporting a terror organization that proudly celebrates the killing of families is absolutely outrageous and embarrassing." Bitton went on to emphasize that many might not fully grasp the complexities of the conflict and called for a more informed perspective, stating, "Most of you don't even know where Israel is! You have zero clue about this conflict, and you still act like you know everything." He further added, "As a father of three kids, I want to see how you react when your innocent kids are subjected to violence and kidnappings right before your eyes." Bitton urged people to seek out facts and not be swayed by biased information.

Bitton, who had been a part of games where the Green Brigade expressed their support for Palestine over the years, appeared to have kept his feelings on this matter to himself until his departure from the club.