Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, known for his anti-Israel stance, on Thursday posted a message of support for FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who displayed a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag during the club’s La Liga victory celebrations.
“Those who see waving a national flag as ‘incitement to hatred’ have either lost their minds or been blinded by their shame," Sanchez wrote in a post on social media.
He claimed, “Lamine simply expressed the solidarity with Palestine felt by millions of Spaniards. Another reason to be proud of him."
The incident in question took place on Monday. As an open top bus carrying the players moved through the streets of Barcelona to mark the team’s Spanish title win, Yamal was seen holding the flag before nearly 750,000 gathered fans.
Yamal, a Muslim whose father is of Moroccan origin, further publicized the gesture by sharing images of himself with the flag on his personal Instagram account.
Sanchez’s post came hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz blasted Yamal and said he was inciting against Israel by waving the PLO flag.
“Lamine Yamal has chosen to incite against Israel and encourage hatred while our soldiers are fighting the Hamas terrorist organization - an organization that massacred, raped, burned, and murdered Jewish children, women, and the elderly on October 7th," Katz wrote on social media.
“Anyone who supports such messages must ask themselves: Is this humanitarian in their eyes? Is this morality? As the Defense Minister of the State of Israel, I will not remain silent in the face of incitement against Israel and against Jews," he clarified.
“I expect a large and respected club like FC Barcelona to distance itself from this and to clarify in no uncertain terms that there is no room for incitement or the support of terrorism," concluded Katz.
The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Spain, which has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel.
In November of 2023, Spain’s Ambassador to Israel was summoned by the Foreign Ministry after Sanchez claimed that "Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza."
In April of 2024, Sanchez criticized what he called Israel's "disproportionate response" in the Gaza war, saying it risks "destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world".
A month later, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares advocated for international sanctions against Israel, citing the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
More recently, the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar Tal, held a reprimand call with the head of the Spanish Embassy in Israel, Francisca Pedrós.
The conversation took place in response to a shocking antisemitic display in which an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was detonated in El Burgo, a small town near the southern city of Malaga.