Striking Back at Zionism: An Interview with Palestinian Fighter Jenin Nasiri
By Enrico Di Gregorio
In a powerful interview with the Brazilian newspaper A Nova Democracia, Palestinian Muay Thai fighter Jenin Nasiri spoke about the importance of Palestinian solidarity in sports and his activism as an athlete.
As a Palestinian born in Lebanon, Nasiri has always insisted on defending the Palestinian cause for liberation. He saw many family members arrested by Israeli forces, which made politics and revolution deeply present in his life from an early age.
In March 2024, he gave a powerful speech after a fight in Thailand. “Me seeing my own blood here, it’s something that I have chosen, while my people are being killed for no reason. Children in Gaza are being forcefully starved to death,” he said.
“We as Palestinians are trying to send a message: we do not believe in the international community. We do not believe in the United Nations. We do not believe in the fake, so-called civilized countries. We believe only in our Resistance,” he added. In the audience, people cried, “Free Palestine!” in support.
Solidarity in Sports
During the interview, Jenin explained how solidarity in sports is important because it has “a lot of followers from all over the world.”
“A lot of people did not hear about Palestine before the genocide. They thought that Palestine and Israel were different countries, not knowing that the Israelis came and took over the land. So it helps a lot to spread the message, especially among the younger generations,” he said.
According to Jenin, most people who watch Muay Thai are pro-Palestine. “Recently, all of my friends—and they are normal Western guys—have been holding the Palestinian flag.”
“But most of the support we get is from the Irish. I love them,” he says. “The Irish openly support armed resistance, which is very different from a lot of people who only support you when you are dying, but not when you are fighting back.”
Recently, images of Irish MMA fighter Paddy McCorry shouting ‘Free Palestine’ as he knocked out his opponent and former Israeli soldier Shuki Farage during a fight at Cage Warriors 189 traveled the world.
Palestine is More Important
Being vocal about Palestine can bring reprisals. Jenin has always been treated differently for being pro-Palestine. Once, a promoter complained to him about his Instagram page, saying it had too many posts about Palestine.
After the video of his speech in Thailand, things got worse. “I was harassed by some governments. There were videos of me surfacing on the internet calling me anti-Semitic. There were people saying they did not feel safe in England while there were people like me there,” he said. Jenin currently lives in the United Kingdom, although he is always traveling for fights.
“I also had some fights canceled, was suspended from some places, and left two gyms.” Sometimes, the reprisal is silent: colleagues stop attending training, and you stop getting time slots. “Suddenly, you realize it’s because of you—because of your political opinions.”
“That does not bother me,” he adds. “People are getting killed back home. What if I do not get a fight? I will go fight somewhere else. The cause of Palestine is more important to me than my career as an athlete.”
Supporting the Resistance
Jenin is clear in saying that “if you look at history, you will see that no land was freed by peaceful demonstrations. No country gained independence simply by the United Nations or the Security Council deciding it is a just cause.”
“Look at the Oslo Accords. They agreed on having control of 22% of Palestine and ended up gaining less than 10%. What happened now?” he questions.
“If you look at the West Bank just after October 7, it was the deadliest year for Palestinian children. They arrest Palestinians, invade their homes, and invade the mosques and churches,” he says.
“If we want to create an obstacle to people attacking us, we need to be able to defend ourselves—and that can only happen through resistance. There is a Palestinian rap song that says: I am not against peace, but peace is against me. Peace needs to be just.”
“I am honored to say that I am Palestinian because of those people who are resisting—those people who are fighting so that we can be safe and regain our freedom.”
– Enrico Di Gregorio is a Brazilian journalist. He currently writes for A Nova Democracia and contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.