Spanish PM Backs Yamal Over Palestine Flag

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly defended Lamine Yamal after the young FC Barcelona star faced criticism for waving a Palestinian flag during the club’s recent title celebrations.

Yamal was seen holding the flag while travelling through the city with teammates during the celebrations and later shared photos of the moment on Instagram.

The gesture drew criticism from Israel Katz, who accused the teenager of promoting hostility toward Israel in a post on X. Katz referenced the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and said Yamal’s actions were inappropriate while Israeli forces continue military operations against Hamas.

In response, Sánchez strongly backed the 17-year-old footballer, rejecting claims that displaying the Palestinian flag amounts to hate speech.

“Those who consider waving the flag of a State to be ‘inciting hatred’ have either lost their judgment or been blinded by their own ignominy,” Sánchez wrote on X.

The Spanish Prime Minister added that Yamal was simply expressing solidarity with Palestinians — a sentiment he said is shared by many people in Spain.

“Lamine has only expressed the solidarity with Palestine felt by millions of Spaniards. Another reason to be proud of him,” Sánchez stated.