International Solidarity
international solidarity & resistance
International Solidarity
led by palestinians.
sustained by solidarity.
Lajee Celtic was born from an act of solidarity, and this internationalism is at the heart of our work.
At a time of global repression and censorship, it is essential to protect and amplify Palestinian voices and the Palestinian struggle.
Lajee Celtic is led entirely by our communities and it is our commitment to continue this way. This ensures that Palestinian voices, priorities, and lived realities are not filtered or distorted by outside perspectives.
It keeps our work grounded in the community we represent, preserving authenticity, accountability and the right of our people to define and direct our own narrative and struggle.
From the first act of solidarity at Celtic Park, which helped reshape how support for Palestine could be expressed in stadiums across Europe and beyond, to the continued development of our work today, Lajee Celtic has remained committed to defending a model of solidarity led by Palestinians.
International solidarity has always been a vital part of the Palestinian struggle. Beyond the tangible impact of global action, including the growth of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its pressure on the colonial project in Palestine, solidarity is also a force that unites people globally through justice, dignity and humanity.
Palestine is not only a Palestinian cause: it is a cause for all people who believe in liberation and justice for a nation that continues to endure genocide, settler colonialism and systematic oppression.
Lajee Celtic, together with the Green Brigade, opened a new chapter for international solidarity through football. We work closely with individuals, groups and organisations that share our values, strengthening collective action through sport across the world. We develop international networks, connect communities and offer invaluable and authentic experiences and education.
We encourage supporters and fans groups around the world to strengthen their commitment to Palestine, to be courageous and to use their platforms for solidarity.
Why Solidarity through Sport?
Sport brings together people from all backgrounds across the world and commands a huge audience. This gives significant influence to those involved as they have a powerful platform to utilise.
Football stadiums have become some of the most powerful and visible spaces for grassroots solidarity with Palestine and Lajee Celtic has been at the centre of that movement. Because of that impact, there are growing attempts to remove Palestine and other struggles for justice from sport to censor, depoliticise and silence those who speak out.
This campaign of repression should only strengthen our resolve. The efforts to suppress solidarity are proof that solidarity has impact. Through collective action across the world, sport can remain a space to take an ethical stand for the struggle for freedom and justice in Palestine.
Sport was an effective tool in the boycott against Apartheid South Africa - it is time it takes a similar stand against Apartheid 'Israel'. This will only be achieved through the continued pressure from fans and activists.
Why does
your support matter?
Refugee camps across historic Palestine carry a long history of struggle and resistance against colonial occupation. It is from this history that people elsewhere are inspired to resist and refuse silence, especially when much of the world remains complicit in the occupation, settler colonialism and genocide in Palestine.
In the midst of the genocide in Gaza, we have witnessed ordinary people confronting their governments’ complicity, showing clearly that power does not rest with governments, but with people. To stand and act in solidarity with Palestine and the Palestinian people is a moral duty and a commitment to justice.
Solidarity will not liberate Palestine - Palestinians will. But international solidarity remains a vital part of our struggle.
Your solidarity actions have a ripple effect. They give confidence to others to take similar stands. They challenge those who seek to repress us. They give us strength to keep resisting.
How It Started
From Glasgow to Bethlehem
01
The First Connection (2012)
In May 2012, the Green Brigade displayed flags and a banner at Celtic Park in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. One of those prisoners, Khaled Alazraq, would become a Board member of Lajee Celtic and another, Samir Al Ameer, the Lajee Celtic Coordinator. A month later during a cultural tour to Glasgow, Lajee Center met with the Green Brigade for the first time in Glasgow.
02
The first project (2015)
The first joint project between the Green Brigade and Lajee Center, the first iteration of the project, brought a group of young Palestinian footballers from Bethlehem to Belfast to compete in the Anti-Racism World Cup. For many of the players, it was their first time travelling outside of Palestine. The trip was financed by the Green Brigade with the support of Celtic fans.
03
The Flags and the Fine (2016)
The Green Brigade displayed hundreds of Palestine flags during a UEFA Champions League qualifier against the Zionist colonial club Hapoel Be’er Sheva. UEFA fined Celtic FC €10,000. In response, the Green Brigade launched the ‘Match The Fine for Palestine’ campaign, which raised £176,076 and was shared between Lajee Center and Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza. This was one of the biggest solidarity actions for Palestine in European football and triggered wider solidarity within stadiums across the world. This also marked the beginning of Lajee Celtic, known at the time as Aida Celtic.
04
From Aida Celtic to Lajee Celtic (2019-2024)
Aida Celtic was officially formed in 2019 with two football categories. What began as a small community solidarity initiative in partnership with the Green Brigade developed into a multi-sports club and international community. Iconic Scottish band Primal Scream sponsored the football shirt and football icon Eric Cantona endorsed the Club. In 2024, the Club rebranded as Lajee Celtic to reflect growth and participation within the club. Formal structures were introduced to govern and safeguard the project.
The Connection
Celtic & Palestine
The relationship between Celtic and Palestine has become a global phenomenon. However, it should be clear that the relationship exists through the Celtic supporters – who represent the true values of the football club – and not through the administration or management of the football club who regularly censor and suppress Palestine solidarity and other acts of political expression.
The connection between Celtic and Palestine is not accidental.
Celtic FC is a product of colonial occupation and displacement. The club was founded in 1887 to feed Irish immigrants in Glasgow who had fled An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger, a catastrophic famine caused by British colonial policy that killed around one million people in Ireland and forced around two million to emigrate around the world.
Irish immigrants arrived in Glasgow and immediately faced hostility, racism and religious intolerance. Celtic Football Club was created by local Irish Catholic clergy and businessmen to feed the starving community and provide a social outlet that would allow them to integrate and prosper while maintaining their Irish identity. The Irish identity, and support for Irish independence and unification, was not welcomed by large sections of Scottish society and this is still prevalent today.
Given this unique history, most Celtic fans carry strong social justice values and proudly and defiantly celebrate their Irish heritage. It is for these reasons that Celtic supporters feel a deep, historical connection to the Palestinian cause, recognising the parallels between colonial displacement, cultural survival and community resistance. In addition to this, there are also close similarties with the Irish liberation struggle which is very close to Celtic supporters. The bond between the Green Brigade and Lajee Center, and all that has grown from it, is rooted in this history.
As well as supporting Lajee Celtic directly, the Green Brigade has worked to amplify Palestinian solidarity through football, sport and wider society, despite consistent attempts to censor them. Their determination to use their platform for justice has been a constant source of strength for Lajee Celtic and has rightly earned them respect worldwide. Lajee Celtic, and all that we have achieved, would not be possible without the Green Brigade and Celtic supporters.
Red Card
RED Card
GLOBAL SOLIDARITY. GLOBAL ACTION.
Rooted in internationalism and grassroots solidarity, “Show Israel the Red Card” was born from growing opposition to colonisation and genocide in Palestine and the call to ban “Israel” from international football.
In solidarity, groups globally have launched campaigns under different names and forms, from red cards, graffiti, creative protest actions to banners, united by the same demand: an end to “Israel’s” participation in international football and sport.
During the Celtic FC and Bayern Munich Champions League match in February 2025, Celtic supporters, led by the Green Brigade, launched a call to football fans around the world to take action. From this moment, “Show Israel the Red Card” built more momentum with the aim of strengthening the boycott of colonial “Israel”.
Since February 2025 there have been:
- Over 300 actions
- Across 200 clubs
- In more than 30 countries
- Spanning 7 continents
This demonstrates the power of collective action and grassroots organising, power that we need to continue to build in the years ahead.
A full interactive map of the 300+ actions can be found at:
Campaigns & Projects
Solidarity in Action
Red Card
'Israel'
Lajee Celtic & the Green Brigade coordinated the Red Card Campaign in sports stadiums and communities across the world. The campaign was primarily about raising awareness and supporting the wider effort to exclude the colonial Zionist entity from international football. 300+ Red Card actions took place across 200+ clubs, in 30+ countries, spanning 7 continents. A grassroots campaign that demonstrated the reach, power and political potential of football supporter solidarity.
Match The Fine
for Palestine
After UEFA fined Celtic FC €10,000 for a Palestine flag display at a Champions League match, the Green Brigade launched a campaign to match the fine, raising £176,076, which was shared between Lajee Center and Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza. It became a defining moment in football solidarity with Palestine and brought global attention to Celtic FC, the club's background and especially the values and activism of its supporters.
Aida to Africa
South Africa Tour
In July 2024, Lajee Celtic’s First Team toured South Africa for a series of football matches, cultural exchanges and educational events. The tour built connections between Palestinian and South African communities with shared histories of resistance, colonialism and liberation, and demonstrated the power of sport in bringing struggles together. It was a landmark moment in the lives of our players and staff who traveled for the first time in their lives.
Dignity Not Drones - Gaza Al-Irada FC
In January 2026, Celtic FC attempted to sign a player from the Zionist football club Maccabi Netanya. Thanks to pressure and protests from supporters and campaigners, the deal collapsed. As well as publicly challenging this immoral act, Lajee Celtic used the opportunity to partner with and fundraise for a Gaza amputee football team - Gaza Al-Irada FC . As well as helping to raise their profile, over £10,000 was raised for Gaza Al-Irada FC.
Bethlehem
to Belfast
The first joint project between the Green Brigade and Lajee Center brought young Palestinian footballers from Bethlehem to Belfast to compete in the Anti-Racism World Cup. This marked the first demonstration of bringing sport and solidarity together and inspired future international initiatives to connect struggles through sport. Similar to the South Africa trip, this was the first time the team had traveled outside of Palestine.
Global Merchandise
Network
4,000+ Lajee Celtic merch items have been shipped to supporters in 63 countries. From the iconic Palestinadelica shirt - sponsored by Primal Scream - to scarves, hats and t-shirts, every item worn is an act of visible solidarity. When a Lajee Celtic shirt appears on terraces or streets across the globe, it carries the names of Palestinian refugee camps from Palestine and the diaspora with it.
Welcoming the World
to Aida camp
Lajee Celtic has welcomed supporters, delegations and solidarity groups from around the world to Aida refugee camp. Over the last 2 years, we have welcomed ultras from Celtic, Rayo Vallecano, São Paulo, Real Sociedad, PSG and more. These visits build meaningful connections between communities and strengthen international solidarity.
Palestina
Vencera!
Lajee Celtic joined an international campaign led by comrades - the Bukaneros - to help pay an extreme fine of 60,000 Euros for a member of the Osasuna ultras group Indar Gorri who made a tweet against Zionism. We supported the campaign by selling scarves and sending our solidarity from Bethlehem to Pamploma. Solidarity is a two-way relationship - we support those who have suffered for standing with us.
Our Reach
Solidarity in numbers.
The scale of Lajee Celtic’s international solidarity network in numbers – built from Aida refugee camp, supported by communities around the world.
Our Partners
Solidarity Partners
Solidarity is collective responsibility.
Solidarity is collective action.
Every donation, membership and purchase contributes to sustaining Lajee Celtic’s programmes and amplifying Palestinian voices on the international stage.