Fans of a prominent Scottish soccer club vandalized the bleachers of their German hosts’ stadium three weeks ago, cursing Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage who was executed by Hamas in Gaza, Channel 12 news reported.

Posts on social media showed the railing at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park defaced with graffiti reading “Fuck Hersh” after Celtic’s 7-1 loss in the UEFA Champions League. The graffiti was likely a reaction to the overwhelming solidarity exhibited by German soccer fans with Israeli hostages in general and with Goldberg-Polin in particular, who was a fan of the Hapoel Jerusalem soccer team.

German club SV Werder Bremen commemorated Goldberg-Polin with a large banner in September after his body was recovered from Gaza alongside five other hostages.

In July, while Goldberg-Polin was still alive in captivity, the team displayed a banner of him outside their stadium that read “Let Hersh Free.”

Bayern Munich hosted hostage families at a game in November, and FC St. Pauli hosted former hostage Liam Or in March after he was released from captivity during a temporary truce in November.

Celtic fans are known for their anti-Israel sentiment, even though several Israeli players have played for the team in recent years.

In March, Israeli forward Liel Abada left the team because of pressure from compatriots to cease playing for fans who regularly displayed banners reading “Free Palestine” and “Victory to the resistance.”

While Celtic fans regularly use symbols of Palestinian nationalism when cheering on their team, the fans of their rival, Rangers FC, often respond by waving Israeli flags.

Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped by terrorists from the Nova music festival near the Gaza border on October 7, 2023 ; terrorist fire left him without an arm.

He was executed in captivity alongside five other hostages in August. Their bodies were found a few days later by Israeli forces, which led to an intensification of mass protests calling for a deal to release the remaining hostages.

In total, the October 7 massacre saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people and kidnap 251 to Gaza.