Protesters demanding that Ireland boycott its Nations League matches against Israel halted the team’s game against Austria in Dublin on Thursday, throwing tennis balls marked with Palestinian flags onto the field.
The balls landed with Ireland 1-0 up after 19 minutes at the Aviva Stadium. The referee, Allard Lindhout, sent the players for a hydration break; play was back four minutes later.
There was a second, shorter stoppage when a spectator carrying what appeared to be a Palestine flag ran on and was tackled by security, according to ESPN. Photographs showed the tennis balls carried stickers of the Palestinian flag and the words ’#StopTheGame,’ The Washington Post reported.
Ireland doubled its lead before halftime, Troy Parrott converting a penalty in off the right post. Austria came back after the break through Alexander Prass and Michael Gregoritsch and left with a 2-2 draw.
The protests shadow Ireland’s fixtures with Israel, whom it met on Sept. 27 and plays again on Sunday, Oct. 4. Campaigners have pressed Irish soccer to refuse the Israel games altogether; the calls did not start this week. Demonstrations twice interrupted Ireland’s match against Qatar in May, Al Jazeera reported at the time.