Fans of Turkish soccer club Galatasaray once again used the UEFA Champions League as a platform for anti-Israel messages Tuesday evening, displaying banners in the stands of Istanbul’s RAMS Park stadium shortly before kickoff against Barcelona. Among the messages displayed were “Free Palestine” and “Humanity Has Lost Its Conscience in Gaza.”
« FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸 »
« L’HUMANITÉ PERD SA CONSCIENCE À GAZA »
Les banderoles affichées par les supporters de Galatasaray avant de jouer le Barça en Ligue des champions ce soir.
via @MesBlaugrana https://t.co/0klAQS2jeC
— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) October 13, 2026
The demonstration is part of a recurring pattern in which Galatasaray supporters have used European soccer competitions to stage political protests against Israel.
In August 2024, during a Champions League qualifying match against Switzerland’s Young Boys, supporters raised banners carrying the same messages.
The protests resurfaced in September 2025, when Galatasaray faced Liverpool in the Champions League. Alongside previously displayed slogans, supporters held additional banners reading “Let Babies in Gaza Live,” “If Jerusalem Is Not Free, the World Is Captive,” and “Genocide in Palestine.”
A month later, in October 2025, another demonstration took place in the Galatasaray stands ahead of the club’s match against Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt. On that occasion, the club itself publicly addressed the issue, publishing photographs of the banners on its official X account alongside the caption “Stop the Genocide.” The latest demonstration continues a series of politically charged displays by Galatasaray supporters at European matches, bringing anti-Israel messaging back into the Champions League spotlight.