NEWS: Palestinian protest disrupts fencing event in Spain

[ladyofshalott99]

Caught this in my Google News feed.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...995298,00.html

Palestinian protest disrupts fencing event in Spain



Pro-Palestinian protestors interrupt junior fencing competition in Burgos, chanting anti-Israeli slogans. 'I was shaking the whole competition, it was very scary,' Israeli teen athlete Irina Levin says. -- by Oren Aharoni


The Junior Fencing World Cup in Burgos, Spain turned into a political arena this past weekend when 12 pro-Palestinian protestors stormed the bleachers during a match between Israel and Spain, shouting anti-Israeli slogans and wielding anti-Israel signs.


The protestors yelled "Killers of Palestinians" at the young fencers, and their signs called for a boycott of Israel.


"It was very scary," said Israeli coach Yaakov Brusovnick, whose trainee Irina Levin was competing when the protest broke out. "They tried to destroy the competition and started to descend towards the area of the match, while Irina was in the track closest to the bleachers."


Brusovnick, a veteran coach who has several fencing titles under his belt, has never experienced a similar event. "I have been coaching in Israel for two years, and it's the first time that this has happened," he said. "The judge immediately stopped the match, and different coaches from different countries began to confront the protestors in an attempt to remove them from the hall."


'They had fire in their eyes'

Two days later, 17-year-old Levin still sounded distraught while trying to recap the event in a phone interview. "I was in the middle of the match in the first level when I heard someone shouting 'Israel, Israel,'" she told Ynet. "I asked myself, who came to cheer for me? Suddenly I turn my head and see a giant Palestinian flag, and people waving signs."


Levin added that the team has undergone safety training and was told to keep their distance, and yet the incident was unexpected.


"There was a Star of David on my suit, and everything was directed at me and at Israel," she continued. "I immediately stopped the fight and the judge didn't know how to react. The Spanish rival's coach went up and tore their sign, and ran away because they wanted to attack him. I was shaking during the entire competition and everyone tried to calm me down."


Levin said that police officers secured the hall for the duration of the competition following the incident, but even with their presence she was still afraid.


"I was looking around me all the time, I was very scared," she said. "You don't know if they will come back, or if they will come to my hotel. It really scared me. They had fire in their eyes."

[indypacers]

p;robably one of my sister-in-laws relative no doubt

[Soberin]

p;robably one of my sister-in-laws relative no doubt

If you know anything about what happened at the Munich Olympics in 1972, I don't think you would have said that. I know you were joking, and I certainly accept that, but unfortunately athletes, especially away from home, are vulnerable to attacks.

[indypacers]

I do know about the 1972 Olympic the US Bronze medalist in Boxing and outstanding boxer of the tournament marvin johnson trained in the same gym I grew up playing basketball in Indy, his trainers daughter used to be my friend many moons ago

as for risk----Rupp Arena and the Syracuse Carrier Dome are the absolute worst places for a baskeball player (visitor) ever to play a game as well as being from a predominately black high school basketball team playing an away game in Southern Indiana........

rocks, bottles, fights, gun shoots and cross burning are usually the order of the game as recently as three years ago

[D'Art]

I think that doesn't quite compare to what happened in Munich tbf, indypacers. As much as I wouldn't like to be subject to that, it's nothing compared to being held hostage and then assassinated by terrorists. I suggest you google the words Black September for more information, and then you might realise why the Israeli fencers felt the way they did. And also why the others at the event probably didn't know how to react...

[ladyofshalott99]

Stating the obvious here, but:

Rather than the die-in-a-crossfire commentary that seems to have erupted, can we just agree that the poor girl didn't deserve to be harassed? No kid deserves to have to put up with that kind of BS, regardless of circumstances--let alone during a competition.

<kindly requests a moderator to lock the thread>

[migopod]

Rather than the die-in-a-crossfire commentary that seems to have erupted, can we just agree that the poor girl didn't deserve to be harassed? No kid deserves to have to put up with that kind of BS, regardless of circumstances--let alone during a competition.

QFT


characters

[edgemontfencing]

I do know about the 1972 Olympic the US Bronze medalist in Boxing and outstanding boxer of the tournament marvin johnson trained in the same gym I grew up playing basketball in Indy, his trainers daughter used to be my friend many moons ago

i personally know a 2 time olympian bronze medalist jamaican sprinter. he was my track coach, but i still know him very well. that spanish coach should have been careful. as a matter of fact, ripping their sign might have been a (minor) hate crime. lady of shallot, im only playing the devils advocate.

[Mr.MightyMouse]

p;robably one of my sister-in-laws relative no doubt

did I miss a shot at wit?

[indypacers]

The behavior was deplorable, it's not part of fencing or at least shouldn't be. I've seen it before with my daughter stateside and when someone can respond it's unnerving.....but in other sports it's just a part of the game.

[Mr.MightyMouse]

The behavior was deplorable, it's not part of fencing or at least shouldn't be. I've seen it before with my daughter stateside and when someone can respond it's unnerving.....but in other sports it's just a part of the game.

I will respectfully disagree with the last statement, although I grew up going to every sporting event imaginable - once you call it a part of the game - you make it acceptable.

[Mitlov]

The protestors yelled "Killers of Palestinians" at the young fencers

I don't care what people's views on international matters are, this is TRULY deplorable. It's disgusting that any athlete--particularly a youth athlete--would have to deal with harassment because of their country of origin.

[fatfencer]

c'est degoutant... children are not responsible for what their parents do, what their governments do. They are only responsible for what they do.

I guess its to be expected though in a country full of people that cannot seem to agree to SHARE. An entire nation of people, on both sides, have summarily failed Kindergarten.

[Superscribe]

c'est degoutant... children are not responsible for what their parents do, what their governments do. They are only responsible for what they do.

I guess its to be expected though in a country full of people that cannot seem to agree to SHARE. An entire nation of people, on both sides, have summarily failed Kindergarten.

That seems kind of silly, when you consider the stories that are held sacred in the Old Testament, which seems to frame the world view of many Israeli's. I'm curious how that affects Palestinians' opinion of Jewish people.

[Mitlov]

I guess its to be expected though in a country full of people that cannot seem to agree to SHARE. An entire nation of people, on both sides, have summarily failed Kindergarten.

But this incident took place in Spain, not in Israel or the Palestinian territories. The people intimidating and verbally assaulting the youth fencer were likely Spanish nationals. (Not that I would be less contemptuous of the behavior if Israelis or Palestinians did it).

[fatfencer]

That seems kind of silly, when you consider the stories that are held sacred in the Old Testament, which seems to frame the world view of many Israeli's. I'm curious how that affects Palestinians' opinion of Jewish people.

What seems silly is to not acknowledge fundamentalism as the fatal flaw in world culture. What happens when common people apply the same tactics TO Fundamentalists that have been done unto them?

Hopefully the annihilation of the fundamentalists.

Then we can have peace.

[D'Art]

Or, you know, you can try and actually negotiate and work things out. Let's face it, when has there ever been a war which hasn't been started in one way or the other, by the greed of more than a handful of people?

[jjefferies]

Or, you know, you can try and actually negotiate and work things out. Let's face it, when has there ever been a war which hasn't been started in one way or the other, by the greed of more than a handful of people?

Not sure I quite follow your statement though I detect a certain trace of idealism here. My own understanding is that most of the major wars of the 19 and 20th centuries were cultural/national clashes expressed as us versus them that got set off by a small spark/incident. Perhaps similar to the current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The old testament "He That Keepeth Israel Shall Neither Slumber Nor Sleep" has new significance.

Question, are negotiations even possible in an era of WikiLeaks?

[fatfencer]

Originally Posted by Superscribe
That seems kind of silly, when you consider the stories that are held sacred in the Old Testament, which seems to frame the world view of many Israeli's. I'm curious how that affects Palestinians' opinion of Jewish people.

What seems silly is to not acknowledge fundamentalism as the fatal flaw in world culture. What happens when common people apply the same tactics TO Fundamentalists that have been done unto them?

Hopefully the annihilation of the fundamentalists.

Then we can have peace.

[Inquartata]

Until the next generation of fundamentalists matures.

That's the problem with fighting wars against human nature: They can only be won by getting rid of the humans. Permanently.