Celtic urged to scrap Green Brigade ban by Palestine group as UEFA accused of 'putting limitations on free speech'

A Palestinian group within the Aida Refugee Camp has urged the Celtic board to reconsider the ban on the Green Brigade.

Hoops chiefs have told around 200 members of the section their season tickets have been suspended until further notice due to "repeated incidents of unacceptable behaviour" and rising UEFA fines. The latest sanction to be slapped on the Scottish Premiership leaders by European football's governing body came when Celtic were hit with a £15,200 fine after fans displayed "provocative messages of an offensive nature" during the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. The sanction came after Celtic had warned supporters before the match not to display Palestinian flags during the game against the La Liga side.

The ultras have previously funded the formation of Aida Celtic, a football team in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. The latest punishment from UEFA has sparked a letter from that group taking aim at European football's decisions while calling for action from the Parkhead powerbrokers.

A statement read: "On behalf of Lajee Celtic League in Aida Refugee Camp, Palestine, we'd like to share our gratitude for the Celtic FC fans and the Green Brigade for their unwavering support of Palestine. This support goes beyond sports, it is a symbol of solidarity against the oppression of the Palestinian people.

"Our partnership with the Green Brigade allows us to host several teams with various ages of boys and young men to carry out their dreams of being a football player in well-renowned league, unifying and empowering communities to bring hope through sports. As football is known to be an internationally loved sport, our young athletes grew up playing football wherever they could