![Hamza Choudhury of Leicester City warms up at Loftus Road London, United Kingdom on October 28, 2023 [Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1749558112-scaled-e1698752860158.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Leicester City footballer Hamza Choudhury has issued an apology following talks with his club over a pro-Palestine social media post he made on X yesterday. The context is Israel’s ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 8,400 civilians in just three weeks, 3,500 of them children.
The 26-year-old posted the popular liberation slogan “From the river to sea” – referring to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea — alongside a Palestinian flag emoji. The phrase, a common chant at Palestinian solidarity demonstrations, is thought to imply the liberation of historic Palestine, and as such has been deemed “anti-Semitic” by Zionists who believe it undermines the integrity of the apartheid state.
🚨🚨| NEW: The FA are set to decide tomorrow on whether to take disciplinary action against Hamza Choudhury after he posted a message in support of Palestine on social media.
[@SamiMokbel81_DM] pic.twitter.com/w8Np3ikJd0
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) October 30, 2023
In a statement posted yesterday, the former England Under-21 midfielder said: “It was and is not my intention to cause offence to anyone but simply to show compassion for the innocent people that are suffering. “I’m sorry for any offence this has caused. I share the hope of people around the world that a peaceful resolution can bring an end to the ongoing suffering of innocent people in this conflict.”
— Hamza Choudhury (@HamzaChoudhury1) October 30, 2023
Choudhury has also previously shared images of Glasgow Celtic FC supporters displaying Palestinian flags inside the club’s stadium.
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“We have discussed the matter with Hamza, and shared our concerns that views expressed in this manner — without sufficient context on a deeply nuanced and sensitive topic — are open to misinterpretation, which risks unintentional offence among sections of our communities,” said a spokesman for Leicester City FC. “The thoughts of Leicester City Football Club remain with all the innocent victims of the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Palestine, their families and the communities affected.”
However, the sport’s governing body in England, the Football Association, is aware of the original post by Choudhury and is reportedly considering whether it breaches any regulations, which could result in a fine or possibly a ban.
Although not against the law, earlier this month, British Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged police chiefs to consider interpreting the phrase “From the river to the sea” as an “expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world.”
READ: Saudi football club deletes tweet expressing solidarity with Gaza