A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Wimbledon on Monday with a giant tennis ball and strawberries “tainted with Palestinian blood” to demonstrate against Barclay’s sponsorship of the event.
The protest, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, saw about 100 protesters stand outside the main entrance to the competition.
Protesters set up a giant tennis ball with the words “Barclays sponsors Wimbledon and genocide” written on it along with plates of strawberries covered in red sauce.
On the strawberries were written the words “Wimbledon strawberries tainted with Palestinian blood, courtesy of Barclays”.
Queuing fans looked on as protesters chanted “stop bombing schools, and stop bombing hospitals”.
A speaker played the Italian song “Bella Ciao”, as attendees held a sign that read “Stop The Genocide”.
Lewis Backon (28), from London, a spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said Barclays was financing companies supplying weapons to Israel.
“The official partner of Wimbledon is Barclays Bank, and Barclays is financing, to the tune of billions of pounds, companies supplying weapons and military technology that Israel is using in its genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
He said Barclay’s “can’t hide” from its role in the conflict.
“So we’re saying, Barclays, you can’t hide,” he said.
“You can’t use tennis as a shield to improve your reputation and to hide from accountability for your role in financing Israel’s genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.”
He said Wimbledon should end its relationship with Barclays.
“I think Wimbledon should end their sponsorship with Barclays,” he said.
“They shouldn’t allow Barclays to use tennis to hide from accountability as a shield to improve their reputation when they’re so complicit in Israel’s devastating attacks.”
He added that “many fans share our anger”.
“So we hope before going in a lot of Wimbledon fans will be here joining us engaging with us and also demanding that their sport, tennis, shouldn’t be used like this to provide cover for a bank which is financing genocide,” he said.
