Amnesty International protests Israel's actions at Austria football match

Amnesty International Austria displayed a banner reading "End Genoice" inside a stadium in Linz on Thursday night during a football match between Austria and Israel. The protest was part of Amnesty's ongoing campaign urging UEFA and FIFA to suspend the Israel Football Association (IFA) due to alleged support for illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

Alexander Weihrauch, a campaigner at Amnesty International Austria, stated that the protest was directed at governments and sporting authorities who are aware of the situation in the Gaza Strip but have not acted against what Amnesty describes as genocide. He also mentioned Israel's "ongoing genocide" in Gaza, its "system of apartheid" against Palestinians, and "ethnic cleansing in Area C" of the West Bank as issues that must remain in public view.

Amnesty had previously called on FIFA and UEFA in October 2025 to suspend the IFA unless clubs based in settlements were removed from Israeli leagues. FIFA rejected this demand in March 2026. Additionally, Amnesty is advocating for Austria and other EU member states to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and implement trade bans on entities involved in settlements.