Nadine Osman
The wife of a former Team Great Britain cyclist ignited a storm of anger with her inflammatory claim that there were “no innocent” Palestinians in Gaza and described Muslims as a “drain on society” in an outburst on social media on April 15.
Michelle Froome, who also serves as the agent for four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, unleashed a barrage of vitriol targeting Palestinians, as well as pro-Palestine demonstrators and Muslims, in a series of posts on X.
Chris Froome currently rides for the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team.
“I’m sick of sitting idly by quietly supporting Israel while the Hamas propaganda takes over social media. Enough is enough!” Michelle Froome wrote in a post to her 15,000 followers.
“The silent majority needs to stand up and be heard. We don’t want your religion; we don’t want your beliefs. It is not compatible with modern civilisation.”
On April 16, Froome deactivated her X account, but screenshots of her posts remain online.
“Women’s rights matter! Gay rights matter! Trans rights matter! Hamas doesn’t support any of those. Take the blindfolds off and see the reality of the hatred they are spreading. There are no innocent Gazans,” Froome wrote.
Social media users vigorously condemned Froome’s comments, denouncing them as discriminatory and dehumanising.
A commenter emphasised the potential real-life impact of her rhetoric on Muslim citizens, posting on X, “Brazen racism from Michelle Froome. Zero consequences.”
“This is pure incitement, and her racist followers will be compelled to act. This is exactly the Great Replacement nonsense that led to the Christchurch mosques massacre. But Michelle knows that” the user said.
Other X users responded by defending the Muslim community in Britain.
“Muslims here contribute a huge amount to (in no particular order) the NHS, schools, charities, and the economy,” another user said. “And in turn are far more likely to be affected by prejudice.”
Social media users didn’t hold back, accusing Froome of hypocrisy, spotlighting her residency in Monaco, a notorious tax haven, while simultaneously portraying UK Muslims as burdens.
“Tell me how much income tax you pay to contribute towards Monaco society?” one X user replied. “What a shockingly racist thing to say.”
Froome’s inflammatory posts surfaced amid growing calls from pro-Palestine advocates for demonstrations at the forthcoming Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, as Israel continues its relentless onslaught on Gaza. Israel has killed over 33,600 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.
Israel-Premier Tech distanced itself from Froome’s comments, telling cycling outlet road.cc: “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.”
Earlier this year, the team removed the word “Israel” from its vehicles as part of what they described as precautionary measures.
The official Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) site also posted a call earlier this month for demonstrations, titled “road closed to genocide,” saying the famous cycling races were “shamefully rewarding” Israel and helping it “sportswash its gravest crimes” by permitting Israel-Premier Tech to compete.
