An Eibar fan could be fined for having displayed a Palestinian flag this Sunday and for having refused to remove it when required, which is why he was expelled from the field by the Ertzaintza. The Basque Police have now made a proposal for a fine, alluding to the fact that a La Liga circular prohibits the display of symbols "with political issues unrelated to the sporting event" and that the man refused to comply with this point, which, according to sources from The Basque Police could violate the Sports Law. This situation has caused perplexity and indignation, since the display of flags of all kinds is common on soccer fields.
The events occurred this Sunday at the Ipurua stadium, where Eibar received Huesca on matchday 11 of the Second Division.
Ertzaintza sources indicate that this police force acted at the request of Eibar's private security, who had urged a fan of the gun club to keep a Palestinian flag that he was displaying during the match.
The Basque Police urged the fan to remove the flag and, after refusing, identified him and expelled him from the stadium. From the Ertzaintza they point out that the fan "was not expelled for the mere display of the flag, but for his repeated refusal to keep the flag" when he was urged "by both the field security service and the Ertzaintza."
This police force also justifies that it was urged to remove the Palestinian flag based on “a circular from La Liga that does not allow the display of banners with political issues unrelated to the sporting event.”
The Sports Law includes limitations on the display of “banners, flags, symbols or other signs”, although the flag of Palestine does not obviously fit into any of these assumptions. Specifically, the regulations prohibit “the display of banners, flags, symbols or other signs, which contain humiliating or intimidating messages, to any person due to racial, ethnic, geographical or social origin, religion, convictions, disability. , age, sex or sexual orientation, as well as those that incite violence, including violence against women, or hatred between people and groups or that seriously violate the rights, freedoms and values proclaimed in the Constitution."
However, the fine may be motivated by the circular regarding the display of symbols of La Liga, a private entity that regulates the rules within its competition, and by the failure to comply with the precept referred to by the Basque Police and which motivated the intervention of Eibar's private security. For now, the fine proposal will be submitted to the National Sports Organization, which will analyze the facts and send the results to the Gaming and Entertainment Directorate of the Basque Government.
The expulsion of the Eibar fan was recorded and is circulating on social networks, where it has caused perplexity and considerable indignation.
Meanwhile, the Eibar-Israel club has positively assessed on their networks that this fan was expelled from Ipurua: “This expulsion is worth more than twenty consecutive victories. We are proud of you, Aupa Eibar!”
