St. Pauli's left-wing fans break up over support for Israel: "They have crossed the line"
A couple of years ago, Iñigo Errejón was proud of the football shirt that a Más País photographer wore in the Congress of Deputies. “Our photographer today, in the best clothes. Pride,” the politician wrote on the old Twitter. It was not a shirt from Rayo Vallecano, nor from Atlético, much less from Real Madrid, Errejón's own team. It was a shirt from a Bundesliga 2 team: St. Pauli.
“St. Pauli is an island in modern football. A club where its fans are the axis and in which it is more important to defend values than to win,” Carles Viñas, author with Natxo Parra of the book 'St. .Pauli. Another football is possible (Capitan Swing, 2017)'. In the 80s, when the extreme right was sweeping the stands of half of Europe, the St. Pauli gained popularity around the world for its contrary ideology – “an anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-homophobic club”, read its statutes – and since then it has been the favorite group of left-wing football fans..
Despite not entering the Bundesliga since 2011, each year its merchandising is the third best-selling in Germany behind those of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.. Despite not having played in Europe, the club has more than 400 “support groups” throughout the continent. Or had. Because these days he is experiencing an unexpected crisis with his own followers. It could be for signing a coach or a player, but it is not: it is for Israel.
Crossing of communications
It all started more than a month ago, on October 7. After the Hamas terrorist attack, the St. Pauli issued a statement condemning the events and expressed his solidarity with Hapoel Tel Aviv, an Israeli club with which he is twinned.. “We condemn the religious fundamentalism, human rights abuses and unspeakable brutality of the Hamas regime,” the letter read.. In it, the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu was also criticized, but the controversy had already been created.. Several international fan clubs showed on social networks their discontent with the sympathy of St.. Pauli to Israel and three days later, on October 10, 14 of them, including the Catalan, based in Barcelona, signed a response statement.
“The club has not taken a position in favor of the Palestinian civilians who have lived under a constant blockade for 14 years,” read the text of the 'international supporters', who declared themselves understanding with the directive because “Germany's relationship with Israel is delicate”, but at the same time they demanded “a change of opinion”. Those words ignited tempers in the offices of the St.. Pauli, where opinions from outside have not always been well received, especially from those who have approached the entity out of fashion.. And, in that tone, the club's supporters club coordination issued a third statement. “Some fan clubs have crossed the line,” he said.. “Minimizing and legitimizing Hamas terrorist attacks is not an opinion and is completely unacceptable,” he continued, and from that moment on divorce is a fact..
In recent days, many St.Pauli fan clubs, such as the Basque or Catalan ones, have announced their disappearance or, at the very least, the end of activities.. “If the club and its people justify this continued massacre [in relation to Gaza], we are forced by our values to stop belonging to it,” the Bilbao group proclaimed.. “After the statement from the coordination of clubs that accused us of legitimizing those murdered by Hamas, we have decided to suspend all activities,” added the one from Barcelona.. The board of St. Pauli is trying to mediate, he has promised a meeting with the international fan clubs at the end of the season, but today the distance seems insurmountable..
“It is a complicated issue because in Germany the conception of Israel is different, historical memory weighs a lot, there are also family roots…. All clubs have contradictions and fans must accept them, but in the case of St.. Pauli values are essential”, concludes Viñas who assumes that, after what happened, the external image of the St. Pauli will change forever. Perhaps in the future there will not be another left-wing politician who talks about “pride.”