A Europe-based human rights group on Wednesday issued a public letter asking Giro d'Italia owners RCS Sport to reconsider the planned 2018 'Big Start' in Israel, and if they don't, the letter asks teams and sponsors to boycott the race.
Citing "grave and escalating violations of international law and Palestinians’ human rights", the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) published an open letter to RCS Sport that included more than 120 signatories urging the Giro owners to move the race start as the the official route announcement approaches on November 29.
Among the international coalition of human rights organizations, trade unions, ethical tourism associations, sports and faith-based groups that signed the letter were renowned American linguist and author Noam Chomsky, former United Nations advocates for Palestinian rights John Dugard and Richard Falk, Italian playwright Moni Ovadia, European Parliament members Eleonora Forenza and Sergio Cofferati, and former vice president of the European Parliament Luisa Morgantini.
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"Holding the 'Big Start' of the 2018 race in Israel will not only cover up Israel’s military occupation and racist policies against Palestinians, it will also exacerbate Israel’s sense of impunity and encourage it to continue denying the Palestinian people their UN-stipulated rights," the ECCP wrote in its letter.
RCS Sport announced on September 18 that the 2018 race would start with an individual time trial in Jerusalem, then spend two more days in Israel with stages in Tel Aviv and in Eliat in the southern tip of the country. The Jerusalem and Eliat stages were especially problematic for the ECCP.
The letter specifically called out RCS Sport for promotional materials on its website, saying the "Giro d’Italia deceptively portrays occupied East Jerusalem as part of Israel and as its unified capital. No country in the world recognises any part of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital."
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