According to the protest leader, because he’s a coach David Blatt “should not be allowed” to support Israel.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nearly 50 pro-Palestine protestors were outside the Cleveland Cavaliers’ preseason game against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Sunday, waving flags and chanting their message to fans that entered the arena.
The group gathered outside Quicken Loans Arena because of pro-Israel comments made by new Cavaliers coach David Blatt, said protest organizer Abbas Hamideh.
Hamideh, the president of the Cleveland chapter of Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, said he believes Blatt should keep his politics separate from his coaching career.
“If [Blatt] wants to support a political cause on his own, that’s fine,” Hamideh said. “But as a coach, that should not be allowed.”
Blatt has been an outspoken supporter of Israel during the summer’s increase in violence in Gaza.