Just following orders!!!
I was remarkably lucky to go to see England Women win the euros a few years ago. We were sat at the front line of one of the tiers and a lady came down to hang a decorated England flag her daughter had given her, as she was ill and could not be there. After she departed, some officials said fifa had said it must be taken down. We argued the toss with them with their line being ‘ fifa rules’ even as other flags were hung there. We asked for an official and eventually they said it could stay. Pointless and nasty incident on a brilliant day.
Today, I watched a video at the World Cup, in California where officials take an Israeli flag off a fan as they ignore those just a couple of feet away with Palestinian flags. The officials use the same line about it was FIFA rules, that only flags of the teams playing are allowed. When pointing out the other flags they said they had spoken to them but made no attempt to remove them, only the Israeli flag. A FIFA official arrives but seeing herself being filmed will not engage or leave her name.
In the end only the Israeli flag is removed. Only the Israeli flag is removed.
They are only following orders.
The video was chilling. In the calmness of those around them, that clearly can see the wrong of those orders, that can see that it is targeting only one country, but still carry on and on and on targeting that country and those people. Much has been written about why the Holocaust happened, and following orders, as an excuse, is one that is often talked about. If you are told this is the norm, then you can carry out things you know are wrong because they are the norm. It is what is done. It is how evil happens- good people do nothing so bad becomes the norm.
What is chilling about this video is the lack of surprise or outrage even from the guy holding the flag. It is becoming the norm to be penalised for being a Jew and standing with Israel. Further chilling is the fact that the officials, including FIFA ones, know it is wrong to only take the Israeli flag but do it anyway.
These little incidents of normalising erasure of Israel’s right to be and Jews right to support their country are now what we expect. It often seems easier to give in. But it is not.
Israel is not evil, it is tiny and fighting for its existence and the security of its people. The Magen David flag of Israel is also synonymous with Jews. We must not hide it or that becomes a norm we buy into.
Today the video, its calmness and the 30 months plus before this that has led to it, it is all chilling. It strikes right into the heart of you.
But it only makes me more determined to remind people of who I am and how Israel is a part of me.
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