Senegal Detains Activist Over Video Criticizing Israeli Athletes
Amadou Sarang Diallo was taken into custody after his TikTok post condemning the Youth Olympic Games was interpreted as a call for violence.
By Christopher Singh ·
Senegalese authorities arrested a 27-year-old activist on Friday following his online criticism of Israel's participation in the Youth Olympic Games currently underway in the country.
The event, which began on 31 October and is scheduled to conclude on 13 November, involves nearly 2,700 athletes from around the world. It marks the first time an Olympic event has been hosted on the African continent. Eleven Israeli athletes are competing in eight sports, including boxing, athletics, judo, artistic gymnastics, fencing, and archery.
Amadou Sarang Diallo was apprehended approximately 88 kilometers outside the capital, Dakar, according to Amidou Sidibe, coordinator of the civil society group Club Intermediaire. Sidibe stated that Diallo's video on TikTok described Israeli citizens as people who would "never get peace in Senegal." Police interpreted this phrase as an incitement to violence, although Sidibe noted that in the Wolof language, the phrasing does not convey a dangerous meaning. Officers searched Diallo's home and found no weapons or hazardous items.
The National Alliance for the Palestinian Cause released a statement on 2 November expressing deep concern over the detention. The group asserted that freedom of expression is a fundamental right in any democratic society and that peaceful political conviction should not justify the deprivation of liberty. Seydi Gassama, executive director of Amnesty International Senegal, joined the calls for release on Monday. On the social media platform X, Gassama wrote that Diallo is not violent and has participated in multiple peaceful actions denouncing the genocide in Gaza at Abdoulaye Wade Stadium.
Local activists argue the arrest contradicts Senegal's historic pro-Palestine stance. This position was formalized in 2025 when Dakar joined the Hague Group, an organization established to coordinate legal and diplomatic measures to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law. Since the conflict began in October 2023, several pro-Palestine protests have occurred in Senegal. In February, a coalition of artists and cultural workers urged the government to cut ties with Israel, citing the death of over 74,500 Palestinians in Gaza.
Tensions also surfaced in May 2025 when Israel’s ambassador to Senegal, Yuval Waks, was forced to leave Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. Students protested his participation in a local conference, chanting "Free Palestine," "Free Gaza," and "Israel is a war criminal" outside the venue.
