GAA Stars Sign Open Letter Demanding Allianz Boycott Over “Enabling Genocide”
GAA Stars Sign Open Letter Demanding Allianz Boycott Over “Enabling Genocide”
Text: Izzy Copestake
“What use is that information if we don’t do something about it?”
Almost 800 players have called on the GAA to cut ties with Allianz, claiming that the insurance company’s financial links are “enabling the genocide of the Palestinian people.” The demand was made in an open letter delivered on Wednesday to GAA director general Tom Ryan during a protest outside Croke Park. Football, hurling and camogie players from across the country have signed the letter, including some of the sport’s most high-profile figures.
The focus of the protest centres on a United Nations report published in June, which highlights the role of major financial firms in supporting Israel’s anslaught on Gaza. The report identifies Pimco, an asset management company owned by Allianz, as a significant buyer of Israeli treasury bonds. According to the report, these bonds play a “critical role in funding the ongoing assault on Gaza.”
Allianz is a major sponsor within the GAA. It backs the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Allianz Leagues, Camogie Association and Cumann na mBunscol. But players behind the letter say the GAA’s association with the company is no longer acceptable given what they describe as a clear link to human rights violations.
Signatory Nodlaig Ní Bhrollaigh, a former Derry footballer, called on the GAA to act. “We are putting it up to the GAA, if you are committed to international humanitarian law and human rights then you cannot ignore this. They must cease their relationship with Allianz,” she said. “This is something we can actually do; we are not powerless. We can hold them to account now. What use is that information if we don’t do something about it?”
In a statement, Allianz has said “Our long-standing partnership with the GAA is about supporting Irish sport and communities. Allianz Ireland is part of a global group and, while the wider group operates internationally across insurance and investment, as a matter of principle we do not comment on individual customers or business matters. What we can say is that all Allianz business decisions are guided by strict legal standards and world-leading ESG principles.”
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