Barnet FC has abandoned plans to hold a bucket collection for Amnesty International, saying it wanted to “avoid any political stance that could cause offence”.
The National League club, based in Harrow, north west London, announced the decision on Saturday after a backlash from fans over Amnesty’s stance on Israel.
The collection was intended to support Amnesty’s “Football welcomes refugees” programme but sparked accusations of politicisation.
The controversy comes after Amnesty International was accused of consistently taking an anti-Israel stance.
For its part, Amnesty Israel rejected a recent report by its parent organisation accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The international charity responded by suspending its Israel branch this month, alleging the regional office had discredited the organisation’s report and violated “core human rights principles”.
When Barnet’s FC announced its collection for Amnesty, it sparked criticism from dozens of fans online, with some pointing out the club’s large Jewish following.
Joshua Jake wrote on X "56k Jews live in Barnet according to the latest census. I can’t imagine how disgusted they must feel by this decision.”
The club said they had received a “large number of comments made towards this collection”.
They said that the bucket collection risked “inadvertently creating an unsafe environment at our game against Maidenhead United”.
In a statement, the club said: “We have therefore decided not to proceed in order to avoid any political stance that could cause offence to any supporters or discomfort to those in attendance at The Hive Stadium.
“Supporters of Barnet FC will know that as a Club, we support charities but do not take political positions on any matters and our endeavours are always with the very best intentions. As a football club, we always maintain an impartial view when it comes to helping others. In this case, a football related initiative in its eighth year of operation.
“We want to be a helpful resource to our community and our supporters from all backgrounds and faiths and always respect everyone’s right to their own opinions. However our focus is ultimately to win football matches and be a safe and welcoming club to all.”
The JC contacted Amnesty for comment.
