Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi is taking legal action against Mainz over dismissal for posts about Israel-Gaza.
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Mainz first suspended El Ghazi on November 17, for a series of posts he made in his social media account about the Israel-Gaza conflict. After that, the team terminated his contract on November 2, and released a statement saying “FSV Mainz 05 is ending the contractual relationship with Anwar El Ghazi and terminated the player with immediate effect on Friday. The club is taking this measure in response to the player’s statements and posts on social media”.
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Now, the player decided to take legal action for wrongful dismissal. His lawyer told Allgemeine Zeitung “I don’t see any statement in the latest post that is not covered by freedom of expression”. Mainz says they have already been informed about the case by the player’s legal team.
El Ghazi suspension on October 17 was for a post that included the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea”, a pro-Palestinian message. Mainz stated that the post “took a position on the conflict in the Middle East in a manner that wasn’t tolerable for the club”. El Ghazi even returned to the team three days later after being suspended, as Mainz released a statement saying “Given his commitment to upholding the club’s values and the remorse shown, and in keeping with the club’s culture of using mistakes as an opportunity to learn, El Ghazi will return to training and matchday-related activities”.
But after that, El Ghazi revealed that he had not authorized Mainz’s statement confirming his return. ”I do not distance myself from what I said and stand for humanity and on the side of the oppressed until the last day I breath”, said the player. After this, Mainz decided to terminate his contract with immediate effect “in response to the player’s statements and posts on social media”.
Following his dismissal by the team, El Ghazi posted a statement in his Instagram account. “Stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone. The loss of my livelihood is nothing when compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza”, he wrote in the post.