A series of messages posted on the X account of Michelle Froome branded Muslims a "drain on modern society" and stated that "there are no innocent Gazans".
The messages, on the account of the wife of the four-time Tour de France winning rider Chris Froome, said that Muslims are "here to take over" and that she was "sick of sitting idly by quietly supporting Israel while the Hamas propaganda takes over social media". The statement "there are no innocent Gazans" came in the context of saying Hamas does not support diversity.
The posts come after pro-Palestinian activists called for "more protests than ever" against Israel-Premier Tech, the team of Chris Froome.
Cycling Weekly reached out via the contact details we had for Michelle Froome, and the response did not deny she had written the posts.
Israel-Premier Tech were also contacted on Monday afternoon. A spokesperson said: "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."
"Muslims are no longer the minority they claim to be," the messages read. "They are here to take over. The UK, France, they are happy to claim the benefits but will not integrate into those communities. They will continue to TAKE what suits them. They are a drain on modern society."
The account on X, formerly Twitter, had not been used since 2020 prior to these messages, not since Chris Froome moved to Israel-Premier Tech.
Israel-Premier Tech is not directly connected to the state of Israel, but the squad has a strong association with Israel through its co-owners, Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams and Israeli businessman Ron Baron.
At least 33,797 Palestinians have been killed and 76,465 others have been injured in Israel's invasion of Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. On 7 October last year, Hamas' attack in southern Israel saw about 1,140 people killed and 240 others taken as hostages.
The posts were part of a series of 13 tweets, published on Monday afternoon.
"Women’s rights matter! Gay rights matter! Trans rights matter!" they read. "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.
"I’m sick of sitting idly by quietly supporting Israel while the Hamas propaganda takes over social media. Enough is enough! 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."
"If anyone is surprised that I have strong opinions they clearly haven’t been around cycling long enough," the posts on the account owned by Froome continued. "I have been quiet but I will not be quiet anymore. This is not about cycling it is about the world my children are being raised in. More parents need to be concerned about this."
"I have communicated with many people and close friends on my opinions on this conflict," the tweets stated. "I hand [have] and will always support Israel. I don’t need to be Israeli or Jewish. I’m a Welsh-born Catholic but I care about my close Jewish friends and what they’re experiencing daily.
"I don’t believe the trash Hamas Propaganda that is put out to try and evoke some sort of social media backlash. Look into the facts. Hamas is a terrorist organisation whose sole aim is to make money out of this situation while this leaders hide in Qatar."
This year, Israel-Premier Tech removed the name "Israel" from its team vehicles, as part of the ProTeam's "precautionary measures" due to Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza.
The team bus, race vehicles, and other branded elements instead simply have the squad's stylised Star of David and "PT" for Premier Tech on them, along with other partners.
