Swiss Fencing Team Turn Backs on Israeli Team Over Gaza Genocide
Tallinn (Quds News Network)- Players from Switzerland’s fencing team turned their backs on the Israeli team during the medal ceremony at the Under-23 European Fencing Championship on Saturday in Tallinn, Estonia, in protest of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli men’s team had won the gold medal, while Switzerland took silver and Italy secured bronze. However, when the Israeli national anthem was played during the podium ceremony, the Swiss fencers deliberately turned their backs in silent protest.
This is beyond amazing made my day 🎆
The Swiss fencing team refused to turn toward the Israeli flag
pic.twitter.com/mawzBmkszj— Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) April 27, 2025
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the action, labelling it “disrespectful”.
The Swiss team’s quiet gesture was widely interpreted by many as a stand against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, where over 52,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.
Switzerland’s Ambassador to Israel Simon Geissbühler and the Swiss Fencing Federation’s President Max Heinzer apologized on behalf of the Swiss Fencing Federation to Israel’s Foreign Ministry and the Israel Fencing Association on Sunday following the incident.
It was not the first time athletes had protested Israel’s assault in Gaza through sporting events.
In May 2023, Iraq’s national fencing team withdrew from the World Fencing Championship in Istanbul over Israeli participation in the tournament.
“The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual races in the World Cup fencing championship, which qualifies for the Paris Olympics, after the lottery pitted it against the team of the occupying Israeli entity,” the Iraqi Fencing Federation said in a statement at the time.
“The decision to withdraw came in compliance with the law criminalising normalisation approved by the Iraqi parliament, and in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.”
Beyond fencing, similar acts of solidarity have emerged across other sports. Football fans throughout Europe and Latin America have frequently waved Palestinian flags during matches, while calls are growing for Israel to be banned from international competitions—echoing the sanctions imposed on Russia after its war in Ukraine.
Campaigns are intensifying to suspend Israel from major international sporting bodies, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, citing the systematic targeting of civilians in Gaza and the deliberate blockade of humanitarian aid.
