Protesters halt game as calls grow on Ireland to boycott second Israel game

Republic of Ireland’s game halted by tennis balls thrown and invader with Palestine flags amid Israel-boycott-demand" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="212328" data-entity-type="topic">Israel boycott demand.Protesters against Ireland playing its Nations League games against Israel interrupted the team’s match against Austria on Thursday by throwing tennis balls onto the field.Referee Allard Lindhout sent the players for a hydration break as soon as the balls bearing Palestinian flags landed on the grass with Ireland 1-0 up after 19 minutes played.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Manchester City breaches need tax implication answers, UK Parliament toldlist 2 of 4Who is Man City whistleblower Rui Pinto and what has become of him?list 3 of 4Pep Guardiola backs Man City after guilty verdict on financial chargeslist 4 of 4‘Sham’: What will happen to Man City after Premier League’s guilty verdict?end of listTroy Parrott had opened the scoring in the 12th with a brilliant individual goal, playing the ball through the legs of one defender and then eluding another before shooting the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs.The game resumed after a four-minute break, after which it flipped with Austria in the ascendancy until Parrott made it 2-0 with a penalty — in off the right post before the break.Before that, a man had tried running onto the field but was stopped by stewards. Irish broadcaster RTE reported he was carrying a Palestinian flag.Protesters also gathered before the match because of Israel’s actions in Gaza. A small group of campaigners from the “Stop the Game” initiative set up close to the stadium and displayed a Palestinian flag and banners in support of Ireland player Gavin Bazunu, who decided on Saturday to boycott both of his team’s matches against Israel.The Palestine-solidarity-campaign" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="212327" data-entity-type="organization">Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a protest outside the stadium, as well as others around the country.They’re calling for Ireland to boycott its remaining Nations League match against Israel — Ireland’s “home” game, though it’s set to be played without any fans present in Backa Topola, Serbia on Sunday.