Thousands of fans erupt in the stadium.
But this is not just a game. And they are rooting for not just any soccer team. This team has an identity. It has a mission. A sporting team that is synonymous with resistance. Synonymous with the struggle for Palestine…
And the Palestinian people.
This is Club Deportivo Palestino, Palestine Sporting Club. A soccer team founded more than a century ago by Palestinian immigrants in Santiago, Chile.
Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East: half a million people.
The team wears the country’s colors: white, green and red. In the stands, fans wear them too, as well as keffiyehs, the black-and-white scarves that represent Palestinian identity and resistance. Their slogan is: “More than a team, it is an entire people.”
That slogan breathes true for fans in the stadium.
11-year-old Kamal Haddad is in the crowd with his father and his grandfather. Their family emigrated from Palestine during the First World War. They say this team is a way of keeping their traditions alive.
“This is a team that’s defending a Palestinian identity here in Chile,” says Kamal Haddad. That’s why we use the slogan ‘Gaza resists.’”
His grandfather, beside him, says his father brought him to his first Palestino game 50 years ago. Now he’s there with his son and his grandson. Three generations of one family, cheering on Palestine — the team, the country, and the people.
“This is so important,” he says. “It’s like our identity. and it’s a way of maintaining our traditions. With my family. With my children.”
The team, the players, and the fans have remained outspoken in defense of Palestine. Their history. Their people. And outspoken against the violence in Gaza.
Before a game in May last year, the players walked onto the field wearing black jackets to protest the children killed by Israel in Gaza. The team has taken the field in Palestinian scarves and waved anti-war banners. Among the chants in the crowd is “Gaza resists/Palestine exists.”
And the Palestino Soccer Club is an inspiration abroad, with nearly a million followers on Instagram. Games are televised in refugee camps in the Middle East.
They are a symbol. An inspiration of resistance, standing in defense of the Palestinian cause even so far away from Palestine, so far away from the violence in Gaza.
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Hi folks, thanks for listening. I’m your host Michael Fox.
I attended a Palestino game last year in Santiago, Chile. You can check out exclusive pictures of the team and the fans on my Patreon. That’s Patreon.com/mfox. There you can also follow my reporting and support my work and this podcast.
This is Stories of Resistance, a podcast series co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment or leave a review.
As always, thanks for listening. See you next time.
Chile’s Club Deportivo Palestino is a soccer team founded more than a century ago by Palestinian immigrants in Santiago, Chile. Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East: half a million people.
The team wears the country’s colors: white, green and red. In the stands, fans wear them too, as well as keffiyehs, the black-and-white scarves that represent Palestinian identity and resistance. Their slogan is: “More than a team, it is an entire people.”
The team, the players, and the fans have remained outspoken in defense of Palestine. And outspoken against the violence in Gaza.
This is episode 40 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review.
You can see exclusive pictures of Club Deportivo Palestino in Michael Fox’s Patreon account: patreon.com/posts/chiles-soccer-in-130263594.
There you can also follow his reporting and support his work at Patreon.com/mfox.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
