Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag. Photo : AP
Pedro Sánchez voiced support for Lamine Yamal on Thursday after the Barcelona winger came under scrutiny for waving a Palestinian flag during the club’s open-top bus parade celebrating their 29th La Liga title.
In a post published on X, Sánchez, a strong supporter of Palestinian statehood and fierce opponent of the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, dismissed accusations that the player’s gesture amounted to hate speech.
“Those who believe that waving the flag of a state is ‘inciting hatred’ have either lost their judgement or have been blinded by their own ignominy,” the Spanish premier wrote.
“Lamine has only expressed the solidarity for Palestine that millions of Spaniards feel. Another reason to be proud of him,” he added.
The statement came days after videos circulated widely online showing the 18-year-old Barcelona star holding and waving a Palestinian flag handed to him by supporters during celebrations in the Catalan capital following Barcelona’s league-clinching victory over Real Madrid.
The footage generated debate across Spain and internationally, with supporters praising the teenager’s public solidarity with Palestinians while some critics accused him of "mixing politics with football."
Sánchez’s intervention marks the highest-level political backing Yamal has received since the incident and reflects Spain’s increasingly vocal position on the war in Gaza.
Spain formally recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and has repeatedly called for an end to Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
In the past three years, PM Sanchez has supported demonstrations in support of Palestinians across Spanish cities, particularly in Barcelona and Madrid.
He has been lobbying the EU to end its trade agreement with Tel Aviv over its repeated violations of international humanitarian law in its war against the Palestinians.
In tandem, Spain and four other European countries - Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland - boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, due to the inclusion of Israel in the contest amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Earlier in the week, leading Irish footballers and prominent celebrities called on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to boycott upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel later this year, citing Israel’s war on Gaza.
Yamal, born in Catalonia to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, has previously spoken out against racism and anti-Muslim discrimination.
Earlier this year, he condemned anti-Muslim chants during Spain’s international friendly against Egypt, describing the abuse as “disrespectful” and “intolerable”.
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