Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury spoken to by club after ‘from the river to the sea’ post
Leicester City have spoken to one of its star players Hamza Choudhury after he took to social media, to share the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea”, linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The midfielder’s post got X, formerly known as Twitter, got 7,300 reposts, before later in the day, he posted a clarification saying he didn’t mean to cause offence.
This comes after war broke out between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas, following the latter’s attack on 7 October. Since then, Israel has launched a prolonged campaign of bombing in Gaza, with ground incursions taking place this week. Thousands of people have been killed on both sides, with many children among the dead.
The phrase from the river to the sea is a chant heard at Palestine demonstrations, with supporters of the cause claiming it means they support equal rights in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Supporters of Israel say it’s a call to wipe the country off the map.
It has been a bone of contention between Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Metropolitan Police, as to whether it is offensive. Braverman has called it “hateful” while Number 10 said yesterday it is offensive to “many people”, yesterday. Keir Starmer suspended MP Andy McDonald yesterday after he chanted it during a rally.
Choudhury later posted on X saying: “I want to address my earlier post which has unfortunately been misinterpreted. It was and is not my intention to cause offence to anyone but simply to show compassion for the innocent people that are suffering. I’m sorry for any offence this has caused.”
“I share the hope of people around the world that a peaceful resolution can bring an end to the ongoing suffering of innocent people in this conflict.”
A Leicester City spokesman said: “We have discussed the matter with Hamza, and shared our concerns that views expressed in this manner — without sufficient context on a deeply nuanced and sensitive topic — are open to misinterpretation, which risks unintentional offence among sections of our communities.
“The thoughts of Leicester City Football Club remain with all the innocent victims of the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Palestine, their families and the communities affected.”
Club shirt sponsors Adidas have been approached for comment.