Palestine protesters target the Tour de France, with Chris Froome’s Israel-Premier Tech team set for a hostile reception after his wife said ‘there are no innocent Gazans’ and labelled Muslims ‘a drain on society’ in a rant
Protesters will focus on the upcoming races at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, with tensions likely to be stoked by Michelle Froome’s tirade against Gazans and Hamas on social media.
In a particularly inflammatory post on Monday, Froome said Muslims are a “blight on modern society.”
The wife and agent of four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome claimed she was “tired of sitting idly by quietly supporting Israel while Hamas propaganda takes over social media.”
She also wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “there are no innocent Gazans” after pro-Palestinian activists called for more protests against her husband’s team, Israel-Premier Tech.
The outfit is not directly affiliated with the State of Israel, but has strong ties to the nation through co-owners Sylvan Adams and Ron Baron.
Michelle Froome launched a tirade against Hamas, Gazans and Muslims on social media
She is the wife and agent of four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, who has been riding for the Israel-Premier Tech team since 2020
Froome’s outburst came after the pro-Palestinian activist called for more protests against her husband’s team
In a post on the official Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) website, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel said the “road would be closed to genocide.”
The statement also accused the owners of Israel-Premier Tech of “the 75-year Israeli regime of military occupation and apartheid, and now genocide.”
“We are calling for more protests than ever along the routes of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, which will depart from Italy this year,” the statement ended. “Let’s make sure the road is closed to genocide perpetrators.”
According to Israeli figures, it has been just over six months since Hamas’s brutal October 7 raid on Israel, which left some 1,170 people dead and 254 people taken hostage.
The attack sparked a devastating Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas says has killed at least 33,175 people and injured 75,886 since October.
In a series of messages on Monday afternoon, Froome wrote: ‘I’m tired of sitting idly by and quietly supporting Israel while Hamas propaganda takes over social media. Enough is enough!
Froome (pictured with her husband in 2017) appeared outraged by calls to protest upcoming cycling races
‘The silent majority must stand up and be heard. We don’t want your religion, we don’t want your beliefs. It is incompatible with modern civilization.
‘Women’s rights are important! Gay rights matter! Trans rights matter! Hamas does not support any of these. Take off the blindfolds and see the reality of the hate they spread. There are no innocent Gazans.”
She continued, “Muslims are no longer the minority they claim to be. They are here to take over. Britain and France like to claim the benefits, but do not want to integrate into those communities. They will continue to TAKE what suits them. They are an attack on modern society.
‘It’s time for people to stop giving in to political correctness. It’s all a facade. They burned babies alive. They don’t deserve any regrets. This is just the beginning. WAKING.’
This year, Israel-Premier Tech removed the name “Israel” from its team vehicles as part of precautions due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
A general view shows the destruction in the area around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after the Israeli army withdrew from the complex housing the hospital on April 1, 2024.
Palestinian women cry as the bodies of injured and killed relatives are taken from a residential building targeted in a nighttime bombardment in Rafah on April 2, 2024
In a series of posts, she made her feelings known about the conflict that has cost at least 33,175 lives
Froome added: “If anyone is surprised that I have a strong opinion, they clearly haven’t been cycling long enough. I’ve been quiet, but I won’t be quiet anymore.
‘This is not about cycling, but about the world in which my children are growing up. More parents need to worry about this.”
‘I have communicated with many people and close friends about my views on this conflict. I give [have] and will always support Israel. I don’t have to be Israeli or Jewish. I am a Welsh-born Catholic, but I care about my close Jewish friends and what they experience on a daily basis.
“I don’t believe in the nonsense of Hamas propaganda that is spread to provoke some kind of reaction on social media. Look at the facts. Hamas is a terrorist organization whose sole purpose is to make money from this situation, while these leaders are hiding in Qatar.”