{"id":100325,"date":"2025-08-29T07:18:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/100325\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T07:18:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:18:21","slug":"fans-insult-and-spit-at-them-israel-premier-tech-manager-claims-rider-cried-for-half-an-hour-after-pro-palestine-protest-at-vuelta-as-race-director-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/100325\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cFans insult and spit at them\u201d: Israel \u2013 Premier Tech manager claims rider \u201ccried for half an hour\u201d after pro-Palestine protest at Vuelta, as race director says \u201cviolent\u201d course intrusion \u201cceases to be a just cause\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Vuelta\u2019s race director Javier Guill\u00e9n has also condemned the protest, saying that the race will seek to take action against the demonstrators who blocked the road, and claiming that \u201cwhen it is protested with violence, it ceases to be a just cause\u201d.<\/p>\n

During yesterday\u2019s fifth stage of the Vuelta, a 24km team time trial in Figueres won by UAE Team Emirates, a group of protesters ran onto the road<\/a> ahead of the Israel-Premier Tech riders.<\/p>\n

La Vuelta Spain<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestinian activists block yesterday the Israeli cycling team during the time trial stage<\/p>\n

Free Palestine \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 pic.twitter.com\/S0umanuOIj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Irlandarra (@aldamu_jo) August 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The team, which includes British riders Jake Stewart and Ethan Vernon, slowed to avoid a collision as motorbike outriders tried to move the protesters out the way. Half of the eight-man team came to a complete stop as the protesters chanted and displayed banners and Palestinian flags.<\/p>\n

Following the stage, which saw the team recover from the mid-race disruption to place 14th at the finish (after the organisers gave them 15 of those lost seconds back), an Israel-Premier Tech spokesperson told road.cc that the squad \u201crespects everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest peacefully\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we absolutely condemn the dangerous acts of the protesters\u2026 which not only compromised the safety of our riders, race personnel, but the protesters themselves,\u201d the team said.<\/p>\n

\"IsraelIsrael – Premier Tech team time trial interrupted by pro-Palestine protest at Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a (credit: TNT Sports)<\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s protest at the Vuelta is the latest to target Israel-Premier Tech\u2019s involvement at a major bike race and means there has now been pro-Palestine protests at each of this season\u2019s grand tours.<\/p>\n

During the Tour de France, one protest \u2013 which saw an activist run onto the finishing straight wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an anti-Israel slogan<\/a> \u2013 accused the race of being \u201ccomplicit in genocide\u201d and \u201chelping restore the image of the Israeli colonial regime\u201d by allowing Israel-Premier Tech to participate.<\/p>\n

Despite its name, the team is not state owned and is instead funded by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, though they have received some funding from Israel\u2019s ministry for tourism.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Adams, who attended Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration and encouraged US attacks on Iran in June, has called the team \u201cambassadors\u201d for Israel and a means of promoting a \u201cmore realistic vision\u201d of modern Israel.<\/p>\n

Protesta en favor de Palestina en la #VueltaRTVE27a<\/a> al paso del equipo @IsraelPremTech<\/a> en la crono por equipos de 24 kil\u00f3metros en Figueres.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfaEN DIRECTO @la2_tve<\/a> y @rtveplay<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/Z2Lhn6fTon<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TfG00s0FVf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Teledeporte (@teledeporte) August 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

However, according to the team\u2019s sports directors, the growing wave of protests against the squad\u2019s involvement in races is beginning to take its toll on the riders.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Spanish sports radio programme El Partidazo de COPE<\/a>, IPT sports director Oscar Guerrero, who was travelling in the team car when Wednesday\u2019s protest took place, said some of the squad\u2019s riders were fearing for their safety and were even considering quitting the Vuelta altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was right behind the riders in the team time-trial,\u201d Guerrero told the programme. \u201cWe were all very focused from the start. We took the first corner and there were already all the riders lined up at 60, 65kph.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God we saw them as they came out, and that there was a safe distance to warn them to brake and at least not to have an accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that sense we were a bit lucky, but of course, three riders were forced to stop, including Matthew Riccitello, who is our leader. We had to wait for him, because it wasn\u2019t just a matter of stopping there. We had to wait one kilometre until the last riders could get back into the group to restart and pick up the pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IsraelIsrael – Premier Tech team time trial interrupted by pro-Palestine protest at Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a (credit: TNT Sports)<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the team\u2019s reaction to the protest, and the general atmosphere surrounding them at races, Guerrero continued: \u201cThe fans insult us constantly. I\u2019m from Navarre, and for example in last year’s Cl\u00e1sica de San Sebasti\u00e1n I had a very bad time because they called me a murderer, spat at me, and kicked the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have also talked about this with the riders. Many times, when they ride to the pre-race presentation, there are people who insult and spit on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have to understand that the rider should not be assaulted,\u201d the sport\u2019s director, who has been with the team since 2017, continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the team time trial, a rider from our team was crying for half an hour in the hotel room because of the lack of security and helplessness he feels. Despite being 1.9m tall and a man, he could hardly breathe because of the crying and the fear he has because he does not feel safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it happens again, he doesn\u2019t think he will be able to overcome it and will have to abandon the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a. It\u2019s very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EthanEthan Vernon and Jake Stewart, Israel-Premier Tech, 2025 Tour of Britain (credit: Olly Hassell\/SWpix.com)<\/p>\n

Guerrero also confirmed that the team have been afforded extra police protection due to the increased security threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true that we are delighted with the police,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore the team time trial, we had a meeting with them, talking about the protocol and how they were going to do it. But we knew this could happen because it is very difficult in such an open circuit to control everything. They were hiding, they showed up at the last second and security couldn\u2019t do much.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a [police] car in the hotel with two members who keep watch during the night. In Italy we also had it, but it is true that this happened even before the war between Israel and Palestine. I think it is a protocol of the governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is true that in this Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a and last year we have been offered this protection and we have been calm.\u201d<\/p>\n

>\u00a0“It’s better to follow your morals”: Former Israel-Premier Tech rider “relieved” to no longer represent team, urges cycling world “to show awareness of what’s going on in Gaza”<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, speaking to WielerFlits<\/a>, Guerrero\u2019s fellow sports director Daryl Impey described the protest as \u201cfrustrating\u201d, but praised the riders for how they handled it, while admitting that the demonstrations are starting to become more serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome riders were quite shaken up after the incident. But I can\u2019t really say much about it other than that we were shocked, but we tried to recover,\u201d the South African said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really proud of the guys. It was a tough day, but I\u2019m proud of how the guys dug in as a team today. I don\u2019t know what we can do next, so we\u2019ll have to wait and see.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re used to flags and signs along the side of the course by now. That\u2019s already difficult, but today is the first time you really realise: Wow, this is really close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, speaking to Marca<\/a>, the Vuelta\u2019s race director Javier Guill\u00e9n condemned the protesters, confirming that the race would seek to take action following the team time trial disruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to file a complaint; we cannot allow what happened. When it is protested with violence, it ceases to be a just cause,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Chaos follows the Tour: Protests, arrests, and apathy as anti-Israel activist \u2013 briefly \u2013 disrupts the Tour de France\u2019s shiny fa\u00e7ade<\/a><\/p>\n

As noted above, Wednesday\u2019s protest at the Vuelta is the latest in a series of demonstrations seeking to shine the spotlight on Israel-Premier Tech\u2019s continued involvement in the world\u2019s biggest bike races.<\/p>\n

\"Anti-IsraelAnti-Israel protester runs onto road during sprint finish, 2025 Tour de France, stage 11, Toulouse (credit: Zac Williams\/SWpix.com)<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most high-profile protest at the team\u2019s prominence in the sport came during this year\u2019s Tour de France, where an Extinction Rebellion demonstrator wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan \u2018Israel out of the Tour\u2019 ran onto the finishing straight<\/a> at the end of stage 11 in Toulouse.<\/p>\n

The protestor was arrested and will stand trial for endangering the riders, the Tour\u2019s general commissioner St\u00e9phane Boury intercepting them just as Uno-X Mobility\u2019s Jonas Abrahamsen and Jayco-Alula\u2019s Mauro Schmid were sprinting for victory.<\/p>\n

\"TourTour de France stage 11 protester (credit: Ryan Mallon)<\/p>\n

Claiming responsibility for the act, Extinction Rebellion said the protest was carried out \u201cto denounce the Tour de France\u2019s complicity in the genocide\u201d and accused the race of \u201chelping restore the image of the Israeli colonial regime\u201d by allowing Israel-Premier Tech to participate.<\/p>\n

XR Toulouse also criticised the team\u2019s owner Adams, claiming that Israel-Premier Tech was created with the aim of \u201cbleaching the image of the Israeli colonial regime\u201d.<\/p>\n

At the Giro in May, during the finale of the stage to Naples, pro-Palestine activists ran onto the road, on that occasion in front of a charging peloton<\/a>, while other protests were seen at the Tour Down Under in Australia at the start of the season.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters run onto road during stage six, 2025 Giro d\u2019Italia (credit: TNT Sports)<\/p>\n

The discontent surrounding the team has also spread recently to its former riders. Last week, Danish pro Jakob Fuglsang, who retired earlier this year after spending the last three and a half years of his career with Israel-Premier Tech, said it was \u201cdefinitely nicer to ride without an Israel logo than with it\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And Jayco-AlUla rider Alessandro De Marchi, who represented IPT in 2021 and 2022, similarly told the Observer he was \u201chappy and relieved\u201d not to race for the squad any more<\/a>, before calling on the UCI to \u201cshow that as a cycling world we care about human rights and international law violations\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to see real action from our governing body to position the cycling world on the right side and to show awareness of what’s going on in Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n