by: Anarchists4Palestine (A4P)

A4P: According to Instagram, your first post is from 12 February 2024, is that when you founded the initiative? And why did you found FCSP Falastin?

FCSP: We founded the group in February 2024, that is correct. It came about largely as a result of disillusionment with the silence of the club on events in the Middle-East, but mostly due to a total lack of visible Palestinian solidarity among St.Pauli supporters. We knew that solidarity existed, and that individual fans would speak up about such views, but we could not find any ‘hub’ or space where this kind of expression existed. So we just had to make it ourselves.

A4P: For people not so familiar with the fan scene: do you see yourselves as Ultras? What is your relationship to USP (Ultra Sankt Pauli)?

FCSP: That is a tough one… We certainly used to, and were proud of the Ultras groups at the Millerntor. Now? Not so much. We have no relationship with USP, and were particularly displeased by their banners/messages directed at Celtic fans – which we will not repeat here.

A4P: In which curve can you be found and what is your relationship to other fan groups there?

FCSP: Unfortunately, despite the fact that we are Members of the Club, we have no fixed presence in the stadium. Our spot varies from game to game, in other words. However, we recommend that those Kiezkicker supporters who share our views congregate in the Gegengerade (East Stand), where you are much less likely to experience violent pushback from fellow supporters who do not see eye-to-eye with us on this issue.

A4P: What is your opinion on the provocations of the pro-Zionist St Pauli Ultras against the Celtic Glasgow fans? (Since the end of last year, some international fan groups had stopped their friendship with FC St.Pauli and even published an international statement against St.Pauli…)

FCSP: We alluded to it earlier, but will elaborate a little; we are dismayed, disappointed and not a little disgusted by the actions & words of certain Zionist elements within the support of FC St.Pauli. These have been most evident in the USP group, but it is unclear to what extent the anti-Palestine, anti-Celtic bias is shared by the Ultras as a whole. It is frustrating, but there is no survey, no poll, no demonstration even that you can point to and say, “Look! The Zionists control the whole scene!” It’s sort of like a Rorschach test; people see what they want to see. Certainly the club and its fans are no more or less Zionist than any other in Germany… but that’s the lowest bar imaginable, and far lower than the standards FC St.Pauli have set for ourselves in speaking out about injustices, from sexism to homophobia to, yes, antisemitism. On the subject of the international fan groups; we have total solidarity with them. Obviously shutting down or abandoning the club is not the path we took or would take – unless the club came out with something explicitly Zionist, that is – but we respect & understand why they felt this was a final straw for them. The problem with severing your connection is that, once it’s done, you have totally lost your ability to influence fan opinion. Essentially, we still have hope that voices like ours within the fan scene will have an impact and, even if it takes time, can change the stance of the club & supporters.

A4P: Describe a bit what you do in the stadium. Do you also do choreography?

FCSP: Aside from wearing our solidarity with Palestine on our sleeves – quite literally, in the case of one of us – we do not go any further than that. Stickers, of course… but no choreo as yet. Stay tuned.

A4P: Many St.Pauli fans are also involved in various initiatives and protests in Hamburg. What about you? Are you as FCSP 4 Falastin also active beyond the stadium, and what do you do?

FCSP: We were active in numerous demonstrations and campaigns prior to forming FCSP 4 Falastin, but in the time since we have really been focused on this issue at the expense of almost all others. The major exception that comes to mind was or were the marches and initiatives against the AfD and far-right.

A4P: Are you also present at away games?

FCSP: We have not been able to attend any away matches as yet, unfortunately.

A4P: If St.Pauli fans from other cities travel to Hamburg for the games and want to join you… where can people meet you and/or how can people contact you in advance?

FCSP: The best way to contact us would be to slide into our Instagram DMs. Strangely enough, despite our spiritual home obviously being the Reeperbahn, we are actually based in Berlin – the Hauptstadt of Völkermord, as somebody else called it – and travel up to the Millerntor as often as we can. So even if you as a Sankt Pauli fan aren’t based in Hamburg, you can still meet up with us for an away match!

A4P: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

FCSP: Lastly, we just want to say to anyone finding it hard to endure the seemingly endless horror of what’s going on… Keep the faith. We know it’s difficult to cope, to see the rising numbers of killed & maimed, to fight the feeling of our helplessness in the face of ethnic cleansing… but please, stay strong. The Palestinian people need every single voice to speak up. We know that we aren’t doing enough – we are just doing our best. That’s as much as we can ask of everybody else.

A4P: Thank you very much for the interview, we wish you a lot of power! VIVA SANKT PAULI FALASTIN!