Amnesty holds 'End Genocide' protest at Austria vs Israel match

Amnesty holds 'End Genocide' protest at Austria vs Israel match

Amnesty International Austria displayed a banner reading "End Genoice" inside the stadium in Linz on Thursday night as Austria faced Israel in the opening group match of the men's UEFA Nations League.

The protest renewed Amnesty's call for UEFA and FIFA to suspend the Israel Football Association (IFA) over "clear evidence" it continues to support illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Our protest is directed against many governments and sporting authorities that know exactly what is happening in the Gaza Strip and still do nothing to stand against genocide," said Alexander Weihrauch, a campaigner at Amnesty International Austria.

Weihrauch said Israel's "ongoing genocide" in Gaza, its "system of apartheid" against Palestinians, and the "ethnic cleansing in Area C" of the West Bank "must not disappear from public attention."

Amnesty first urged FIFA and UEFA in October 2025 to suspend the IFA unless settlement-based clubs were excluded from Israeli leagues. FIFA rejected that call in March 2026.

Amnesty is also pressing Austria and other EU states to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and ban trade with implicated settlement entities.