Old Photos and Video of Celtic Fans Raising Palestinian Flags Resurface
The Claim
Several photos and a video show Celtic fans raising the Palestinian flag during their team's match against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League as a mark of solidarity with Palestine.
News posted on
Emerging story
Following the Celtic vs. Real Madrid UEFA match, social media users on Twitter began circulating a set of photos and a video depicting Celtic fans raising the Palestinian flag during their team's match against Real Madrid as a mark of solidarity with Palestine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral photos and the video and found them to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar discovered the four photos, along with the video, to be outdated.
The first circulating photo dated back to August 17, 2016, when Celtic faced the Israeli team, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, in the UEFA Champions League Qualifying Play-Off First Leg at Celtic Park stadium. Russell Cheyne, a photographer, captured the photo for Reuters.
The second outdated photo shows the flags of Palestine in the stadium in response to what happened in Jerusalem and the Israeli aggression on Gaza, despite the absence of fans from the stadiums due to the Coronavirus at the time. The photo was published by a Celtic fan account on Twitter on May 12, 2021, when Celtic faced St Johnstone Football Club.
The third photo dated back to August 17, 2016. It depicts dozens of Scottish Celtic fans raising Palestinian flags during their team's match with the Israeli team, Hapoel Be'er Sheva in UEFA Champions League at Celtic Park stadium. Misbar found the photo published on Arabic CNN on August 18, 2016.
The fourth photo shows Celtic fans raising a Palestinian flag with the inscribed words, "Free Palestine." Misbar discovered the photo was first published on August 17, 2016, when Celtic faced the Israeli team, Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the UEFA Champions League.
This video shows Celtic fans raising the Palestinian flag amid the Celtic Stadium stands during the team's opening Scottish League game of the new season, which saw a large public presence at the time. The video dated back to July 31, 2022 and was published on Twitter by journalist Liam O’Hare.
Celtic Fans Back the Palestinian Cause
Celtic fans are known for their support for Palestine despite the club’s insistence on stopping them from raising Palestinian flags.
Due to the club's cultural heritage and the oppression and persecution of nationalists in the north of Ireland, Celtic supporters have demonstrated their support for the oppressed people of South Africa under apartheid, the Basque people seeking independence from Spain, and other causes, including the Palestinian one.
Real Madrid VS. Celtic
The photo and the video circulated after Celtic's match with Real Madrid on Tuesday, in the first round of Group F matches in the Champions League. The match ended with Real Madrid winning 3-0.
Read More
Cristiano Ronaldo Satirically Compared to ‘Homelander’
Cristiano Ronaldo Denies Rumors of Going Back To Sporting Lisbon
