***image2***Activists in Portugal staged a protest in front of the stadium where Paços Ferreira played Tel Aviv football club Bnei Yehuda at the beginning of August.
Gathering in front of the stadium, activists carried banners condemning Israeli apartheid and calling for a sports boycott of Israel.
Information on the reasons and goals of the boycott were distributed to passers by as well as match ticket holders. Police initially tried to stop the demonstration and confiscated the banners, but eventually allowed demonstrators to remain. They were, however, barred from brining the banners into the stadium.
The event succeeded in garnering news coverage, both in local TV and print media.
Various actions have been held this year in Europe in support of the sporting boycott. Last March, some 7,000 people protested in Sweden against Israeli participation in the Davis Cup. The action forced the match to proceed without spectators, while thousands of Palestine-supporters demonstrated outside the stadium.