Above photo: Palestinians hold banners as they demonstrate in the center of Ramallah, demanding the suspension of Israel from FIFA on May 20, 2015. Abbas Momani / AFP.
Move the Games!
The Black Alliance for Peace North South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights delivered a message to FIFA‘s President and Head of Human Rights regarding the ongoing and rapidly deteriorating human rights conditions in Palestine, as well as current conditions in the United States that BAP believes makes the United States a dangerous nation for citizens and residents of foreign nations to visit.
In that communication we made the argument that because of the ongoing genocide and the role of the U.S. as a facilitator of that genocide, as well as the unsafe and hostile conditions in the U.S. that has compelled a number of nations to issue advisories against travel to the U.S., we called on FIFA to ban the United States and Israel from hosting and participating in international competition, and to relocate the 2025 World Cup from the United States. We also notified FIFA that BAP has initiated an international petition drive making that same argument.
FIFA responded to our communication with points of clarification and statements of policy. The salient points made by FIFA are as follows:
According to FIFA, it “strives to create a discrimination-free, inclusive and safe environment in all of its activities and events in accordance with the FIFA Statutes, FIFA‘s Human Rights Policy, and further relevant regulations.” We agree that providing a space free of discrimination and where individuals are secured in their person and possessions is a laudatory objective of FIFA. However, we provided concrete evidence citing various incidents of individuals being harassed by U.S. border officials and travel advisories issued by a number of states, including states in the West, which suggest that the protection of individual rights and security has now become a grave issue in the U.S.
Yet, FIFA claims that “its goal is to deliver the safest tournament experience for all involved, and we have planned collaboratively with public safety partners to achieve that goal.” We asked what “public safety partners” they mean. Has FIFA collaborated with U.S.-based and international human rights and immigration justice groups? Why would various nations in Europe, including Canada, issue travel warnings to the U.S. if they did not believe that travel to the U.S. presents a clear threat to their respective citizens/residents?
And with a recent order by the U.S. Executive banning travel to the U.S. from a number of countries and the growing and intensifying xenophobia, one would assume that any organization responsible for the safety of its fans and participants must view any guarantees issued by U.S. authorities to FIFA regarding the protection of fundamental rights be viewed with some degree of skepticism.
What protections do people have in a nation where masked and unidentified individuals can readily detain anyone who appears to be in said nation “illegally,” without due process or reason—especially nonwhite individuals.
FIFA says it “implements a robust human rights due diligence programme, which includes collaboration with national authorities and other relevant stakeholders.” However, what sense does this make when the evidence being argued is that the national authorities FIFA is collaborating with are engaged in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide? Due diligence would seem to compel FIFA to pull the World Cup from the U.S. and to ban the participation of Israel as it has done to other nations. We challenged FIFA to provide the specific “FIFA Statutes and Human Rights Policy” that informs its decision-making regarding the hosting of the World Cup and criteria for the banning of certain teams based on human rights infractions to no avail.
The FIFA response to BAP is clearly not a serious response. Instead, it is another example of the double standard employed by Western-based institutions that reflects the devaluation of the lives, concerns and fundamental rights of non-European, non-White peoples and nations.
FIFA’s specious response reconfirms the arbitrary and capricious nature of human rights standards when in the hands of Western-based institutions. To this, BAP asks, has there ever been two nations like the U.S. and Israel that have committed the level of atrocities and human rights violations and then been allowed to hoist and participate in international sport as if nothing significant had happened?
The answer is obvious. But what is also obvious is that there will be no human rights enforcement if it does not emanate from the people and the few people-centered states that exist in the world.
That is why we will continue to go to the people, make our demands, and build the power to execute our demands. Keep circulating the petition, organize teach-ins on this issue and keep building independent power. We have them on the run!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION.
All Power to the People!
No Compromise, No Retreat!
