A delegation of players, past and present, delivered a letter to Croke Park authorities last Wednesday requesting that the GAA immediately end the sponsorship of the National League by Allianz. I was one of those present.
Many have asked why this action is being taken and why so many players are exercised by Allianz, a long standing sponsor of the second biggest GAA competition.
Like all others I have been appalled by what is happening in Gaza. David Hickey, former Dublin footballer and eminent surgeon for many years in Beaumont Hospital, has been heavily involved in getting GAA people to march in some of the big demonstrations in Dublin.
Like many others, I went along out of loyalty to him and his sincere advocacy for the Palestinian cause. I often wondered was it of any benefit.
Then the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, looked under the bonnet of what is happening in Gaza, declared that it was genocide, but went further and listed many big companies who are profiting greatly by their investments in Israeli bonds and through other associated companies which are involved in the instruments of war. Allianz was one of those.
Not only that, but Allianz has been described as principal institutional shareholder in Elbit Systems, one of the main suppliers of drones to the Israeli military. These weapons are used to kill women and children and have caused the greatest number of amputations in the world. So the blood of Palestinians is on the hands of Allianz.
Allianz are not alone in nakedly profiting from the destruction of a nation of people, but the other companies listed by the UN are not direct sponsors of the GAA. So this is why I got involved.
As a community, the GAA prides itself on following a sort of moral code. It’s not perfect, yet it has standards of decency, honesty and respect. It may take time to break from Allianz due to contractual issues, but they should not be sponsoring next year’s league.
Allianz has a long-established sponsorship relationship with the GAA. Photo: Sportsfile
This probably came as a shock to most ordinary people who look on Allianz as a perfectly reputable company. It’s probably the same for most of its employees too who have no idea of what it is up to worldwide. After all, it has a workforce close to 160,000.
Yet Allianz has form in this regard. It profited from the German policy of extermination in World War II as well, but said it had atoned. Allianz now say that they “support and respect the protection of international human rights and ensure that Allianz is not complicit in human rights abuses.” There’s a fair degree of hypocrisy in that statement.
As a measure of how the world has changed for the worse, compare what happened after the second World War and what is acceptable now. Most people know about the Nuremberg Trials and the conviction and execution of some of the Nazi hierarchy for war crimes.
Soon after that there were trials of many of the industrial companies who helped fuel the war effort. Companies such as Farben, Flick, Daimler Benz, Volkswagen and Krupp. Alfred Krupp was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Other executives had prison sentences imposed, although the damage to some of these companies was limited. But at least it established the principle of individual responsibility of company directors and executives in international crime. In many ways, that was the start of a rules-based international system, complete with repercussions.
Who would be the arbiters of justice now? Certainly not the United States where profit, transactions, bloated ego and veniality are the modern morals. And of course the main profits from the destruction of Gaza go to American companies. Shouldn’t those executives face justice for aiding and abetting genocide?
The Palestinians have no chance. They don’t have oil or gold or valuable natural minerals, so in Trump language, they have no cards. Of course when anybody raises these sort of awkward questions they are immediately accused of being anti-Semitic. A “slander” as President Michael D Higgins called it.
The other response of any criticism of Israel is that it is supporting Hamas. That is not a factor in the GAA players’ support of Palestine. Hamas brought death and destruction to Israel, which we all condemn. They also bring great suffering to their own people.
Recently Aharon Haliva, the former Israeli intelligence chief, was recorded saying that for every Jew killed there should be at least 50 Palestinians and if that included women and children then so be it. They needed to be taught a lesson. It is just the latest in a long line of outrageous comments by right-wing Israeli politicians who incite violence against Palestinians.
The response from the United States was to sanction Francesca Albanese. Albanese is from Italy and as they say, has no skin in the game, except to reveal the truth.
We are not the only ones who have issues with Allianz. In London, there have been attacks on Allianz office buildings. Windows have been broken and paint daubed by Palestinian sympathisers who object to the role the company is playing in the starvation and annihilation of a nation.
Last week the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland released a statement which calls into question the Irish Catholic Church’s role in supporting Allianz with most of their business.
Ireland has done more than most in supporting Palestine and speaking out against atrocities. We could do more.
There is a concern within our Government about international reputation with several US politicians hinting that we should get in line. The US authorities accept no criticism of its actions, however objectionable. And the price to pay is sanctions.
So we get back to the point again. Is the action of former GAA players, which will hopefully become a tidal wave through clubs in demanding an end to the association with Allianz, of any value? It may not save one life, but what good did the Dunnes Stores workers do when they staged a three-year strike from 1984 to 1987 against Apartheid in South Africa?
That helped, in due course, towards the Irish government banning the importation of South African goods. It later prompted Nelson Mandela to say that he was touched “by people far away from the crucible of apartheid who cared for our freedom.”
In a similar fashion, the GAA should act now in a simple way with Allianz. Drop them as sponsors. At least it would show that we care about who is associated with our organisation.
Subscriber Exclusive: Enjoy a free one-week ClubberTV pass and watch GAA club games live and on demand. Claim yours here
by heresmewhaa
5 comments
No doubt the Grab All Association board will not want to loose all this sponsership money, and would rather line their pockets ahead of stopping a genocide!
The boldest of strategies, Cotton. The absolute boldest.
How about starting with ending the association to the IRA and then moving on to Israel?
“Albanese is from Italy and as they say, has no skin in the game, except to reveal the truth.”
This has to be the dumbest thing I’ve read in a while.
So tiresome.
Comments are closed.