Pubs in Ireland refuse to screen Israel match in protest over Gaza genocide

On match days, Peadar Browns pub in Dublin’s historic Liberties area is usually jam-packed with football fans piling in to watch the game on various screens.As kickoff approached in the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League game against Israel on Sunday, there was a similarly busy crowd.With one significant difference, though: none of the televisions were on.The pub has made a deliberate decision not to show the game tonight in protest against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.“We committed about a month ago not to show any of the upcoming Nations League fixtures until Ireland made a stand against Israel,” says owner Aidan Brown. “We didn’t show the Kosovo game, and we’ve absolutely no intention of showing the Israel games.”Brown has been compiling a list of venues refusing to screen the match. At his last count, it included 140 pubs and bars in Ireland and abroad. He expected the number had risen before kickoff as tumultuous events within the Ireland team reverberated around the country.Ireland, a staunch and long-standing ally of the Palestinian cause, has been thrust into the global spotlight over whether the team will play the two scheduled games against Israel.Brown compares the a...