LONDON (AP) — A proposal to rename a Dublin park named after a former Israeli president has sparked an outcry, with Ireland’s chief rabbi saying it would be “a shameful erasure” of the country's Jewish history.
Supporters argue that renaming Herzog Park would be a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians following the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that left more than 70,000 people dead, according to the territory's Health Ministry.
A proposal from Dublin City Council’s Commemorations and Naming Committee to strip Herzog’s name from the park was due for a vote at a council meeting on Monday evening. But after days of acrimony, Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said the proposal would be withdrawn.
Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare said the issue could not be voted on for technical reasons, because the “correct statutory procedure” had not been followed.
The park in south Dublin was named in 1995 for Chaim Herzog, the sixth president of Israel, part of a family with strong ties to Ireland. Herzog was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin, and was the son of Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Ireland’s first chief rabbi.
He served as president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. His son, Isaac Herzog, is the country's current president.
In a post on X, the Israeli president’s office said renaming the park would be “shameful and disgraceful.”
Members of the left-leaning Irish political parties People Before Profit and Sinn Fein supported the name change. Sinn Fein city councilor Daithí Doolan said it was “an act of solidarity with Palestinians” and a criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.
Public sentiment in Ireland is strongly pro-Palestinian, especially among those on the left. Many see similarities between the struggle for Palestinian statehood and Ireland’s long fight for independence from Britain.
Ireland’s center-right government was one of the first in Europe to recognize a Palestinian state. Israel announced a year ago it would close its Dublin embassy over what it called Ireland’s extreme anti-Israel policies.”
The Irish government has opposed renaming the park, with Prime Minister Micheál Martin calling the idea “divisive and wrong.”
Ireland’s Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder said removing Herzog’s name would be “a shameful erasure of a central part of Irish Jewish history.”
He said the Herzog family “embodied the bond between the Irish story and the Jewish story,” noting that Ireland and Israel had common history as “two small courageous nations both struggling for independence from British rule.”
“Today, you don’t hear about this shared history anymore,” he told national broadcaster RTE. “There are parts of our society, such as the people proposing this move, that want to whitewash this part of our history, but we need to acknowledge this kinship between Irish nationalism and Jewish nationalism was recognized and valued.”
The Israel-Hamas war started after the Palestinian militant group led a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, leaving 1,200 people dead and more than 250 others were taken hostage.
Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached last month, Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory have continued, raising the death toll, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government. It is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
FILE - Former Israeli president Chaim Herzog is pictured in Jerusalem, on May 12, 1993. (AP Photo/ Jacqueline Arzt, File)
MADRID (AP) — Spain star Lamine Yamal on Wednesday condemned the anti-Muslim chants made by Spanish fans during a friendly soccer game in the latest incident to dent the nation’s sporting image.
The Spanish government and the soccer federation also condemned the chants, and police said they were investigating the behavior by fans during Tuesday's game between Spain and Egypt in the city of Barcelona.
Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants made by part of the fans at RCDE Stadium were disrespectful and intolerable. He said it didn't matter that the chants were not directed at him personally.
“I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these things: Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,” he wrote on Instagram. “Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe."
Racist abuse against players are not uncommon in Spain. Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior has often been subjected to racist taunts during soccer matches. Sexism has also been an issue, as Spanish soccer endured one of its most embarrassing incidents when then-federation boss Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. He was eventually found guilty of sexual assault.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente also condemned the anti-Muslim chants after the game, which was part of the team's preparations for the World Cup.
“I feel total and absolute repulsion towards any xenophobic or racist attitudes," he said. "They are intolerable.”
The game ended in a 0-0 draw. Egypt is a majority-Muslim country.
“Hate, racism, and xenophobia have no place in stadiums or in our society,” Milagros Tolón, the Spanish minister in charge of sports, said Wednesday.
Catalonia’s regional police said "we will investigate yesterday’s Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at the RCDE Stadium during the friendly match Spain-Egypt.”
Barcelona-based club Espanyol condemned what it called “racist behavior" at its stadium.
“Such actions are reprehensible and unacceptable, do not represent the values of sport, and must be firmly condemned and eradicated from all sporting venues,” Espanyol said.
The club claimed that its supporters were being unfairly blamed for the incident in a “smear campaign” and that the national team fans came from “very diverse geographical and footballing backgrounds.”
Last year, an Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams during a Spanish league game in 2020 accepted a deal to avoid prison time.
Spain is due to play Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, and also faces Cape Verde and Uruguay in Group H of the 48-team tournament. Egypt has games against Belgium, New Zealand and Iran in Group G.
Spain was hosting Egypt for the game, which had originally been expected to be played in Qatar before the region was affected by the Iran war. A “Finalissima” game there between South American champion Argentina and European champion Spain was canceled after they couldn't agree to reschedule.
FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesday's chants.
AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth contributed to this report.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Spain's Lamine Yamal controls the ball during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Egypt's goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saves during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona , Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
