Red Card Israeli Racism’s Kenny Fryde has written an open letter to Uefa after three football clubs were fined for displaying the Palestinian flags during European games over the summer.

Dundalk, Celtic and St Johnstone have all been handed fines for breaching Uefa’s disciplinary regulations by raising the flag, which “transmitted a message that is not deemed fit for a sports event.”

The letter says: “This seems to us to be an absurd charge and a gross abuse of the disciplinary process. There is no context within which the Palestinian flag can be said to promote disorder and to be unfit for display.

“To suggest otherwise is an insult of quite staggering proportions — to Palestinian sportspeople, their fans and the Palestinian nation as a whole. Football fans have always had the right to display their allegiance to the national flag of any Fifa member. It has never been controversial.”

Uefa’s control, ethics and disciplinary board deem the Palestinian flag to be a contentious symbol, Fryde says in the letter, on the basis that “the conflict in the region is ongoing,” but  he adds if that is the case Uefa would have to ban a lot more flags in stadiums.

“Will Uefa now ban the flags of all countries involved in ongoing conflict?” he asks. “What about those of the Ukraine and Russia? Or the United Kingdom and Argentina? Or North and South Korea? If the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body truly intends to act on this principle it must do so consistently and impartially.”

But Fryde points out that the Israeli flag was raised last week in the Champions League by Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and neither club has been warned about their actions.

And he adds: “You will be aware of the Palestine FA’s ongoing dispute with its Israeli counterpart over the  systematic violation of Palestinian sporting rights.

“Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub has frequently observed that Israel does not even recognise Palestine as a sporting entity with the same rights as other nations. It is of fundamental importance that international football authorities should not echo that lack of respect.”

On Friday, St Johnstone confirmed they will appeal the fine.