SOUTHAMPTON'S LGBTQ+ fan group has promised to stand in solidarity with gay people persecuted in Saudi Arabia ahead of Newcastle United’s visit to St Mary’s tonight.

Rainbow Saints said no protests were planned for the match despite calls by Amnesty International for fans to raise human rights issues in the Arab kingdom whenever teams play The Magpies, now “the richest club in the world”.

The £305m takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has already sparked protests at Crystal Palace, Brighton and West Ham.

Rainbow Saints co-founder Max Lindsay said: “While there aren't any protests planned for the Newcastle match this week we stand in solidarity with persecuted LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia.

“We also support (Newcastle’s) United with Pride as we know how much abuse they have got since the takeover was announced. We hope they continue to be a positive force within their club.”

Previous protests have highlighted the case of gay social media influencer, Suhail Al Jameel, sentenced by Saudi Arabia to three years in jail and 800 lashes.

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The 25-year-old, who has 170,000 followers on Twitter, was accused of sharing nude pictures online after he posted a picture of himself topless and wearing leopard-print shorts.

He later warned gay people to stay away from Saudi Arabia saying: “There is no place for you here, it is illegal to be who you are and it is sad”.

At Crystal Palace a banner was held up in the stadium which took aim at the Premier League for waving the Newcastle deal through.

It showed a man in Arab head-dress with a bloodied sword alongside a checklist of alleged offences which included : ‘Terrorism, beheading, civil rights abuses, murder, censorship and persecution”.

Mr Lindsay also called for the debate to be widened to include other Premier League clubs.

He said: “If we are to protest one club’s owners we need to look at everyone else as well.”

Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s Head of Campaigns, said of the Newcastle takeover: “Football has its own issues with racism and other hate speech, but fans have a perfect right to voice concerns about serious human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

“The greater the spotlight on Saudi human rights violations, the better.

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“If fans around the country are speaking about Saudi beheadings, about alleged Saudi war crimes in Yemen or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, then that’s a useful way of getting basic facts about Saudi Arabia’s appalling human rights record out into the wider world.

“Though the Newcastle buyout is clearly part of the Saudi authorities’ long-term attempt to sportswash the country’s image, it’s fairly predictable that the effect in the short term has been to trigger greater discussion of human rights abuses in the country.

 “Greater awareness of Saudi human rights issues is extremely welcome, and we hope it can lead to sustained pressure for much-needed reforms.”

by ANTHONY HARWOOD