Police in Paris arrested two fans at the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Israel and France at the Stade de France national stadium on Thursday.
“A fight broke out. We were very reactive and the incident was quickly brought under control,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told France 2.
The match broke out about 10 minutes after kickoff at 8:45 p.m., with some officials carrying Israeli flags on their backs. The cause of the altercation is unknown, and security personnel intervened about a minute after the altercation occurred.
Both men were taken into custody. One was taken away immediately and the other was arrested after the match with the help of video evidence, Nunez said.
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Fans hold up Palestinian and Israeli flags as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues (November 14, 2024). (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
Stade de France fans booed during the match israel national anthemand a small altercation broke out during Thursday's UEFA Nations League match between the two countries. Approximately 4,000 French security personnel were assigned to patrol inside and outside the stadium and on public transport.
According to Reuters, about 100 Israeli fans were seen sitting in a corner of the Stade de France, which had a capacity of 16,611 and was less than 80,000 people in attendance.
The Israeli national anthem was played before the game began, and “boos and whistles” could be heard during the performance.
Israeli supporters waved yellow balloons and chanted “Free the hostages” in reference to the hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel takes tough stance against terrorists, allows families to be deported
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying Israel has received information that pro-Palestinian groups abroad are attempting to harm Israelis in cities in France, the Netherlands and Turkey. England Belgium etc.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Maayan Tov, Israeli Government Press Office)
The incident was the second violent altercation involving Israeli soccer fans at a national team match in Europe in recent weeks.
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Supporters were reportedly targeted by violence in Amsterdam during the first week of November. The Israeli embassy in the United States also posted a graphic video of the violence.
“Hundreds of fans… @maccabitlvfc Tonight in Amsterdam, a soccer team was ambushed and attacked as they were leaving the stadium after a match. @AFCAjax,” the embassy wrote. “The mobs that targeted these innocent Israelis proudly shared their acts of violence on social media.”
According to Dutch news agency RTL, there were dozens of arrests on Thursday night, most of them before the match.
A spokesperson for the Dutch National Police told the program: “There was some disturbance, including at the dam.” “It's impossible to say who belongs to whom. It's not easy to distinguish between each group. Almost everyone wears black.”
On November 14, 2024, Israeli fans and security staff clash during a match between Israel and France. (Reuters/Christian Hartmann)
The incident occurred 13 months after Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel's national soccer team recently faced a potential suspension from FIFA following allegations from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
The PFA's original proposal called for the war to kill at least 92 non-professional Palestinian players, destroy soccer infrastructure, suspend the league and require the national team to compete in World Cup qualifiers overseas. he claimed. The Palestinian federation had called on FIFA to introduce appropriate sanctions against Israeli teams, including the national team and clubs.
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FIFA rules against Israel's suspension from international matches after PFA recommends banning Israel amid war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza At the beginning of this year. However, FIFA still launched an investigation into the Israel Football Association (IFA) over allegations of discrimination.
In a statement previously provided to FOX News Digital by IFA Head of Communications Shlomi Basel, IFA criticized the PFA for its recent proposals to FIFA.
A participant wears an Israeli flag during a protest against anti-Semitism at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on December 10, 2023. (Reuters/Rishi Niesner)
“Those who fantasized about suspension of Israeli football from the international stage or sanctions based on lies and false accusations have lost,” the statement read. “Again, in the face of the challenge of the Palestine Association and its leadership to distort reality, we have acted calculatedly and aggressively through a variety of channels, but today's results do not. No doubt about it.
“We respect the authors of the report submitted to the Board members and the Board members' decision to consider sending the two matters to legal review, insofar as there is a factual justification for this.” This is insofar as there is some factual basis for it. In accordance with the independently determined legal system of the Football Association, we have so far been able to do so because of the values that represent our glorious democracy and society. I have never violated any of the rules and have no intention of violating them in the future. ”
PFA did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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