FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain. AP
Barcelona’s title celebrations drew added attention on Monday evening when 18-year-old forward Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag handed to him by supporters during the club’s victory parade through the Catalan capital.
The parade travelled through central Barcelona hours after thousands of fans gathered near Camp Nou and along the city’s main avenues to celebrate the title. Players danced, sang with supporters and displayed club banners and scarves from the open-top bus draped in Barcelona colours.
Yamal, one of the standout figures in Barcelona’s title-winning campaign, was also seen joking with teammates and interacting closely with fans throughout the procession. Spanish media outlets circulated footage of the teenager waving the Palestinian flag for several moments before returning it to supporters.
The images rapidly spread across international platforms, particularly in the Arab world, where many users praised the player for what they described as a public show of solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
The gesture resonated strongly in Spain, where support for Palestinian rights has become increasingly visible since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023. Spain formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway, while large pro-Palestinian demonstrations have regularly taken place in Barcelona and other Spanish cities.
Barcelona itself has emerged as one of Europe’s most active centres for Palestinian solidarity campaigns, with municipal leaders, football supporters and civic groups repeatedly calling for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
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