A Seattle soccer league that has glorified terrorism and the Islamic Republic of Iran in its promotional materials has been using athletic fields at public parks without the required permits, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation.
JNS asked the department whether the Fedayeen Football League, which has hosted weekly matches at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and at Green Lake Park, had obtained permits to use the public athletic fields.
“This group did not submit a permit for this event,” Christina Hirsch, a spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation, told JNS. “Their athletic field use would need a permit, of which they did not have for either of these two advertised athletic dates.”
Seattle Parks and Recreation requires permits to reserve athletic fields and other park facilities for organized events and public gatherings. Organized sports teams are generally required to obtain field reservations or permits for scheduled games and exclusive use of park facilities.
The soccer club, which is named for the Arabic term for “those who sacrifice themselves,” has promoted its events with materials depicting armed militants wearing keffiyehs, missiles striking urban areas and clips from news articles referencing attacks on Israel and the deaths of Israeli soldiers.
Hirsch told JNS that even if the group had applied for a permit, the parks department “does not review or moderate marketing materials, fliers or social media content for permitted events.”
