{"id":41635,"date":"2025-06-03T13:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T20:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=41635"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:25:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T21:25:35","slug":"palestino-chiles-soccer-club-standing-in-defense-of-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/06\/03\/palestino-chiles-soccer-club-standing-in-defense-of-palestine\/","title":{"rendered":"PALESTINO: CHILE\u2019S SOCCER CLUB STANDING IN DEFENSE OF PALESTINE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Fans<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

POSTED IN STORIES OF RESISTANCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chile\u2019s Palestino Soccer Club is an inspiration abroad. Nearly a million followers on Instagram. Games are televised in refugee camps in the Middle East. They are a symbol. An inspiration of resistance, standing in defense of the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY\u00a0MICHAEL FOX<\/a><\/strong> MAY 30, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans of Chile’s Club Deportivo Palestino cheer during a Palestino game against Union Espa\u00f1ol in early November 2024, in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Michael Fox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of fans erupt in the stadium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is not just a game. And they are rooting for not just any soccer team. This team has an identity. It has a mission. A sporting team that is synonymous with resistance. Synonymous with the struggle for Palestine\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At The Real News Network, we refuse to back down!
<\/a><\/strong>We\u2019re committed to telling the stories that corporate media ignores\u2014stories from Gaza, from Baltimore, from labor picket lines and prison yards, and from communities organizing for justice. But we can\u2019t do it without you.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please don’t wait. Show your support today!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DONATE NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the truth that fuels action directly into your inbox. Sign up for The Real News. Join the movement. Don\u2019t wait\u2014<\/strong> Subscribe now<\/strong>!SIGN UP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is Club Deportivo Palestino, Palestine Sporting Club. A soccer team founded more than a century ago by Palestinian immigrants in Santiago, Chile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East: half a million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team wears the country\u2019s colors: white, green and red. In the stands, fans wear them too, as well as keffiyehs, the black-and-white scarves that represent Palestinian identity and resistance. Their slogan is: \u201cMore than a team, it is an entire people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That slogan breathes true for fans in the stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11-year-old Kamal Haddad is in the crowd with his father and his grandfather. Their family emigrated from Palestine during the First World War. They say this team is a way of keeping their traditions alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a team that\u2019s defending a Palestinian identity here in Chile,\u201d says Kamal Haddad. That\u2019s why we use the slogan \u2018Gaza resists.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His grandfather, beside him, says his father brought him to his first Palestino game 50 years ago. Now he\u2019s there with his son and his grandson. Three generations of one family, cheering on Palestine \u2014 the team, the country, and the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is so important,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like our identity. and it\u2019s a way of maintaining our traditions. With my family. With my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team, the players, and the fans have remained outspoken in defense of Palestine. Their history. Their people. And outspoken against the violence in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before a game in May last year, the players walked onto the field wearing black jackets to protest the children killed by Israel in Gaza. The team has taken the field in Palestinian scarves<\/a> and waved anti-war banners. Among the chants in the crowd is \u201cGaza resists\/Palestine exists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Palestino Soccer Club is an inspiration abroad, with nearly a million followers<\/a> on Instagram. Games are televised in refugee camps in the Middle East. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are a symbol. An inspiration of resistance, standing in defense of the Palestinian cause even so far away from Palestine, so far away from the violence in Gaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hi folks, thanks for listening. I\u2019m your host Michael Fox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I attended a Palestino game last year in Santiago, Chile. You can check out exclusive pictures of the team and the fans on my Patreon. That\u2019s Patreon.com\/mfox<\/a>. There you can also follow my reporting and support my work and this podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is Stories of Resistance, a podcast series co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange\u2019s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment or leave a review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, thanks for listening. See you next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chile\u2019s Club Deportivo Palestino is a soccer team founded more than a century ago by Palestinian immigrants in Santiago, Chile. Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East: half a million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team wears the country\u2019s colors: white, green and red. In the stands, fans wear them too, as well as keffiyehs, the black-and-white scarves that represent Palestinian identity and resistance. Their slogan is: \u201cMore than a team, it is an entire people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team, the players, and the fans have remained outspoken in defense of Palestine. And outspoken against the violence in Gaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is episode 40 of Stories of Resistance\u2014a podcast co-produced by The Real News<\/a> and Global Exchange<\/a>. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange\u2019s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we\u2019ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can see exclusive pictures of Club Deportivo Palestino in Michael Fox\u2019s Patreon account: patreon.com\/posts\/chiles-soccer-in-130263594<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There you can also follow his reporting and support his work at Patreon.com\/mfox<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written and produced by Michael Fox<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MICHAEL FOX<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael Fox is a Latin America-based media maker and the former director of video production at teleSUR English.More by Michael Fox<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

POSTED IN STORIES OF RESISTANCE Chile\u2019s Palestino Soccer Club is an inspiration abroad. Nearly a million followers on Instagram. Games are televised in refugee camps in the Middle East. They are a symbol. An inspiration of resistance, standing in defense of the Palestinian cause. BY\u00a0MICHAEL FOX MAY 30, 2025 Fans… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41635"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41641,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41635\/revisions\/41641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}