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France increases security measures before the match with Israel

2024-11-13 19:49:21, Kosova & Bota CNA

France increases security measures before the match with Israel

French authorities have stepped up security in Paris ahead of Thursday's France-Israel soccer match, hoping to avoid the violent clashes between local and Israeli fans that broke out last week in Amsterdam.

The Nations League match at the Stade de France stadium will take place at a fragile time, as diplomatic relations between the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, are strained as a result of the war in Gaza.

Around 4,000 police officers will be deployed in and around the stadium, as well as on public transport, police in Paris said.

"This is an extraordinary measure, mobilization three or four times greater than usual," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio on Wednesday.

Only French and Israeli flags will be allowed inside the stadium, he added.

Macron will attend the match as a sign of solidarity, while the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, said after the clashes in Amsterdam that the match will take place as planned and that there have never been any doubts about this.

However, only 20,000 fans are expected to be at the 80,000-seat stadium north of Paris.

French fan group Les Irreductibles Français conducted a poll of its members which showed 15% will boycott the match because of the Israel-Gaza war, while around 30% cited "security risks" as the reason.

Emotions over Israel's actions in Gaza run high in France, which is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities. Reports of anti-Semitic acts have increased by an "unprecedented percentage" of 284% in 2023, France's Human Rights Commission said in June, while anti-Muslim acts have increased by about a third.

Israeli soccer fans and locals clashed last week in Amsterdam, leaving at least five Israelis injured after Maccabi Tel Aviv's Europa League match against Ajax./ REL





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