Almost 800 players, current and former, signed the petition
Prominent GAA stars have written an open letter to Croke Park management calling for them to drop the Allianz sponsor for GAA games.
Nearly 800 Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies’ football players, both current and former, signed the petition.
The players want the GAA to end its association with Allianz, who were listed in a report as being one of the companies involved in sustaining and paying for Israel’s actions in Palestinian territories.
The petition says Allianz are “enabling the genocide of the Palestinian people”.
The letter was written to Ard-Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan, and asked the GAA to “demonstrate its commitment to its principles and to international humanitarian law”.
O’Rourke: Sometimes the right thing costs money
Colm O’Rourke, the former Meath footballer and manager who was among those signing the petition, said: “Sometimes the right thing costs money but in this case it is the least of what we should do.
“I think all club members should be made aware of what is happening in their name because of the sponsorship of the competition.
“GAA members probably aren’t that aware of this. When they do become aware they will want the link with Allianz to be broken once and for all.
“If it means that we don’t have a sponsor for the National League Competition, so be it,” O’Rourke added.
The report which listed the insurance company was produced by Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The report was published in June this year on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
It found that Allianz invested a large amount of money in shares and bonds implicated in the occupation of Palestinian Territories.
In a statement, Allianz 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 (environmental, social and governance) principles.”
SportsJOE has approached the GAA for comment.
Protest at GAA HQ brings in crowd
Around 70 people were at the protest at GAA HQ in Dublin to hand over the letter to an official, including former Dublin GAA footballer Kieran Duff.
He said: “Some action has to be taken. We’re a small little country. This is our national game and if the GAA can’t stand up and call them out, what hope has anyone got? The emphasis has to be that people go back to their clubs and push it further.”
Signatories of the petition, which is on Change.org, include Neil McManus, Peter Canavan, Tomás Ó Sé, Joe Brolly, Shane McGuigan, Niall Cahalane, Terence ‘Sambo’ McNaughton, Michael Darragh McAuley, Aoife Ní Chasáide, Jane Adams, Brendan Devenney, Greg McCartan, Sorcha Gormley, Danny Sutcliffe and Dr David Hickey.
