Wiesenthal Centre Urges Puma Sports Counter-Action on “Palestine Will Vanquish” Blood Libel Poster

December 15, 2020

Paris – In a letter to Puma sports equipment CEO, Björn Gulden, Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, brought attention to “a blood libel poster in France, advertising Puma as ‘Official Sponsor of Israeli Colonialism’ ('Sponsor officiel du colonialisme israélien')."

The letter noted that, “these posters, labelled by the so-called ‘Collectif Palestine Vaincra’ (the 'Association Palestine Will Vanquish'), appear predominantly in Toulouse.”

 

Samuels claimed that, “It was such exhibitions of hate that incited to a Jihadi killing spree by Mohammed Merah, who, in March 2012, murdered a Rabbi teacher, his two sons and an 8-year old girl, in the Toulouse Otzar Hatorah Jewish school. The perpetrator claimed his brutal act was: ‘vengeance for Palestinian brothers and sisters’.”

 

The Centre stated: “Our partner organization, the BNVCA (National Bureau for Vigilance Against Antisemitism) will take legal action against the ‘Collectif Palestine Vaincra’ and JCDecaux, the company providing the poster billboards.”

 

“We are aware of Puma’s sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), from our ‘Ten Points Against Racism in Football’ campaign with UEFA and FIFA... The Toulouse-based ‘Collectif Palestine Vaincra’ has no concern for football. Its logo bears the map of Israel in blood red, taken over by ‘Palestine as on the poster,” argued Samuels.

 

The Centre urged Puma “to take appropriate measures with the French authorities against this blood libel.” 

 

“Join us also in calling for the expulsion of the Palestine Football Association from FIFA, in view of its stadiums, teams and competitions dedicated to glorify the names of terrorists,” concluded Samuels.

For further information, contact Shimon Samuels at csweurope@gmail.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).