Anti-Israel Protesters Expected To Target Tour de France After Four-Time Winner's Wife Shares Opinion On Gaza

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Anti-Israel protesters are reportedly expected to target the Tour de France after the wife of Chris Froome, a former champion, shared her opinion on Gazans and Hamas in a since-deleted post on social media.

Froome rides for the Israel-Premier Tech team, and with the company being based in Israel, it already made him and his team a target for backlash from pro-Palestinian protesters. His wife, Michelle, took to X and shared three posts voicing her support for Israel amid the terrors taking place in the region.

"I'm sick of sitting idly by quietly supporting Israel while the Hamas propaganda takes over social media," she wrote in a now-deleted post, according to the Daily Mail. "Take the blindfolds off and see the reality of the hatred they are spreading. There are no innocent Gazans," she continued in another post.

Michelle also wrote, "Muslims are no longer the minority they claim to be. They are here to take over."

However, it's worth noting that Michelle did not share her opinion at random. Her posts came after pro-Palestine activists had called for Israel-Premier Tech to be confronted by "more protests than ever" at both the Tour de France and Gior d'Italia races this year.

Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky with his son, Kellan and wife Michelle on the podium after winning the yellow jersey during stage twenty one of Le Tour de France 2017 on July 23, 2017 in Paris, France.  (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

A post published April 8 on the official Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) site titled ‘Giro d’Italia and Tour de France: Road Closed to Genocide,' the organization claimed Israel is "plausibly committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, as ruled by the International Court of Justice. International sporting bodies have a moral obligation to take all measures to prevent genocide, or risk being held criminally liable."

BDS also claimed that Israel-Prmier Tech, which is not directly connected to the state of Israel, as an outfit that sportswashes a "75-year-long regime of military occupation and apartheid."

Earlier this year, Israel-Premier Tech removed the name "Israel" from its team vehicles, as part of what it called "precautionary measures" amid the situation in Gaza.

"Any comments or beliefs made public by third parties associated with the team’s riders or staff do not represent Israel – Premier Tech, its team members, or its partners," Israel-Premier Tech shared in a statement following Michelle Froome's posts on social media.

The Tour de France is set to begin on June 29.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.