The Celtic Foundation have announced a £100,000 donation to help Palestinian genocide victims in Gaza.
The announcement came as a shock given that the club has spent the past two years punishing fans who showed their support for the besieged Palestinian people.
Under relentless pressure from the Celtic Fans Collective, the club appear to be trying to take a step towards aligning themselves with the fans feelings on the Gaza genocide.
The charity donation comes on the back of the club reducing ticket prices for upcoming Europa League matches, Another sure sign that the pressure being exerted by the Collective is having an impact.
All donations to help the Palestinian people must be welcomed.
FURTHER STEPS
There are further concrete steps the club could and should take to repair the damage they have done to their reputation over the past two years.
Last December a delegation from Lajee Celtic and 1for3palestine visited Glasgow.
They learned about the history of the club, of the Irish immigrant experience that led to the very formation of Celtic.
Sadly, and to their shame, the club declined to meet the reps who wanted to present them with a gift on behalf of the Palestinian people.
Celtic should roll out the red carpet for any Palestinians looking to connect with the club.
SOURCE OF PRIDE
The support shown to the Palestinian people by Celtic fans should be a source of great pride to everyone at the club.
Standing up, speaking up, for the victims of oppression and genocide are core values to the Irish diaspora who know of these tragedies only too well.
That the people running our club chose to look away, or actively attack those that did speak up, says everything about the gulf that exists from boardroom to ordinary fan.
As journalist Owen Jones said: “Who spoke out – and who remained silent? Make sure you have good answers”.
Of course it could be argued that a football club has no business getting involved in world affairs.
But the spotlight has been on Celtic at times thanks to the actions of the fans, led by the Green Brigade.
Eric Cantona had the courage to speak up and wear the Lajee Celtic shirt.
Be like Eric 👑
All sizes, including kids, are available for pre-order:https://t.co/y4qAmVwsFi
Customer delivery is expected late November / early December 2025 pic.twitter.com/efGBjU320c
— Lajee Celtic (@lajeeceltic) September 28, 2025
At the recent legends game at Celtic Park, Arthur Boruc donned a Palestine shirt for his lap of honour.
The Green Brigade displays and the formation of Lajee Celtic have put the clubs fans in the spotlight at times.
LEADERSHIP
Braver leadership at the club would have welcomed that attention, encouraged it.
An opportunity was missed when the actions of the fans attracted global media attention. The club could have stood up proudly and reflected the fans principled stance.
Instead, the Green Brigade were banned from the stadium.
It shouldn’t require fan pressure to force the club to act in this way. We want our club to represent us fans in a way that reflects our values.
The club announced the £100,000 donation to help Palestinian genocide victims on X, Around two hours before launching the Adidas Spezial range.
There were no comments from Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson or Tony Hamilton supporting the donation. One small step.
