The flag was removed after a match between Sporting Clube de Braga and an Israeli club.
BE questioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Saturday about the removal by the PSP of a Palestinian flag from the municipal stadium in Braga, after a match between Sporting Clube de Braga and an Israeli club.
In a question addressed to the Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, and signed by the parliamentary leader of BE, Fabián Figueiredo, it is read that on July 25th the match between Sporting Clube de Braga and Maccabi Petah Tikva FC (State of Israel) took place, a qualifying round within the scope of the Europa League, a UEFA competition.
“According to information released by the media, a Sporting Braga fan brought a Palestinian flag to the stadium, in a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people. At the end of the match, in response to protests from other fans, the Public Security Police removed the Palestinian flag from the stadium,” it says.
The blockers point out that “the Israeli armed forces are carrying out an invasion of Gaza and have carried out several attacks that have resulted in the murder and death of thousands of children and other civilians” and recall that at other sporting events and cultural shows, Ukrainian flags have been displayed, in solidarity with this country.
“There is no evidence that the security forces and services have removed any Ukrainian flags displayed in solidarity in these contexts,” the party said.
For BE, the episode “seems to be a clear violation of the freedom of expression of the fan who wore it” since “displaying the flag of a State, an observer member of the United Nations, with a diplomatic mission in Portugal, does not in any way imply a violation of the laws that govern sporting events.”
“It is not the job of the security forces to limit the free expression of citizens, which is protected by the Constitution of the Republic,” they added.
In this context, BE wants to know if the ministry confirms the removal of the flag from the municipal stadium of Braga, “where the order for its removal came from” and on what “the law was based” for such an act by the PSP.
Source: Observadora
