The political storm over Barcelona’s championship celebration just escalated to the highest levels of government. After young star Lamine Yamal sparked outrage by waving a PLO flag during the victory parade through the city streets, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez used the incident today (Tuesday) to launch an unbridled attack on the State of Israel.
During a joint press conference with the World Health Organization’s secretary-general, Sánchez was asked about the political display by the Barcelona and national team star. Rather than condemn the use of the sports arena to promote a pro-terror agenda, the Spanish prime minister opened a sharp offensive against Israel’s government and military.
Sánchez repeated his government’s defiant position recognizing a “Palestinian state” and claimed it has a right to exist. While briefly mentioning he condemned Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, the Spanish prime minister rushed to define IDF operations in inflammatory terms as “genocide by Israeli authorities in the Gaza Strip.” Sánchez also claimed outrageously that Israeli policy is what’s increasing the insecurity of Israeli society itself.
Sánchez’s remarks come after footage of Yamal—a Muslim of Moroccan descent waving the PLO flag—was posted to his Instagram account, which has over 40 million followers, and sparked widespread anger in Israel. While Barcelona coach Hansi Flick tried to dodge the issue with vague phrasing, the Spanish prime minister appears to have taken the gloves off, continuing the hostile line that has characterized his government in recent months while giving tailwind to anti-Israel provocations in the sports arena.