Sweden- “Israeli” Games Wage Boycott Protests

A European Championship qualifier match between the "Israeli" and Swedish handball teams on Sunday sparked protests urging a boycott of "Israel: the apartheid state."
Police say hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside a sports stadium in the town of Karlskrona in southern Sweden, where the match was held.

The rally was organized by an umbrella group called the "Network for Independence, Peace and Non-alignment," which is comprised of various Swedish political parties. Organizers distributed a picture of a decapitated Palestinian child lying between the legs of a Zionist soldier.

In an earlier message, protest organizers said that, "In "Israel", Palestinians are denied the right to pursue sports on equal terms, just like the blacks were denied this right in South Africa during apartheid. Sports and politics are connected. The "Israeli" team represents the Apartheid state of Israel."

Police spokesman Mats Trulsson said the protest had been peaceful. Police had been on high alert before the game, following the events in Malmo in 2009 when anti-Zionist activists clashed with police and tried to storm the arena hosting the Davis Cup during a game between Sweden and "Israel".