The banner
Galatasaray fans unfurl "Free Palestine" banner before match against Barcelona
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- Supporters at RAMS Park in Istanbul displayed a large "Free Palestine" banner before Tuesday's Champions League league-phase game against Barcelona.
- It continues a pattern of pro-Palestine displays by Galatasaray fans in European matches, and UEFA has not confirmed any disciplinary action.
Supporters of the Turkish football club Galatasaray put up a large "Free Palestine" banner inside RAMS Park on Tuesday, expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza before the club's Champions League match against Barcelona.
The display appeared in the stands on Oct. 13 during the second matchday of the 2026-27 league phases. The banners hung around the stadium before kickoff also carried the slogan "Humanity lost its conscience in Gaza."
The banner is not the first of its kind at Galatasaray home games. In Nov. 2024, fans unveiled a giant "Free Palestine" banner during a Europa League match. Other banners behind a goal that night urged that Gaza's babies be allowed to live.
Galatasaray fans are not alone in using European football this way. In Sep. 2025, Athletic Bilbao fans held a huge Palestinian flag banner at a Champions League game against Arsenal, with a message pledging support until the very last day. Paris Saint-Germain fans unfurled a 50-by-20-meter "Free Palestine" banner at the Parc des Princes in Nov. 2024, which drew criticism from France's interior minister.
Read more: Netherlands bans 'Israeli' fans from Europa League match
