A week after fans visiting Tel Aviv were attacked, a so-called “high-risk” soccer match between France and Israel in Amsterdam saw scuffles and protests, thanks to a massive police operation. Very little violence occurred.
On Thursday night, during a widely discussed and closely policed soccer match between France and Israel, the Israeli national anthem was met with boos at the Stade de France. A week earlier, at another game in the same series in Amsterdam, there had been what politicians on both the left and right have described as a “pogrom” against Jewish tourists by local “young people” who were said to be “Moroccan.” It was predicted that there would be serious confusion. and North African heritage.”
Dutch police had been outnumbered by highly mobile scooter-riding gangs, but French National Police were determined not to allow it to happen again, deploying 4,000 officers to the stadium and surrounding areas. The Israeli government had already warned its citizens to avoid sports and cultural events in Europe altogether this week, and to try to avoid being visibly Israeli in public. In the end, only a few hundred Israeli fans actually attended the match in Paris, and the stadium of 80,000 people was almost empty.
Those people arrived and left in chartered buses under tight police security. The visiting Israeli soccer players themselves were placed under the protection of France's elite anti-terrorism police force. report BBC.
The match itself, which ended in a 0-0 draw, was completed without interruption, but a scuffle broke out inside the stadium, which was quickly stopped by the stewards without any intervention from the police who were on hand. french le figaro state A group of soccer supporters carrying Israeli flags chased and punched a man as he fell to the ground.
In other incidents, a Palestinian flag was unfurled in the stadium and the Israeli national anthem led to boos. Soccer fans supporting Israel shouted, “Release the hostages!” Under the Football Association's rules, only the French and Israeli flags are allowed, as opposing nations and political statements are prohibited at soccer matches. The Palestinian flag was reportedly confiscated by security personnel.
Police announced Friday that they had arrested two people. The Associated Press quotes Paris police chief Laurent Nunez as saying: We responded very quickly and the incident was quickly brought under control. ” It is stated that it is unclear what started the scuffle that led to the arrest.
Pro-Palestinian activists protested outside, saying the match should never have been allowed to take place. Left-wing participants said that, in their view, it was an act of “honoring a country that committed genocide” and that President Emmanuel Macron was wrong to attend the games.
Meanwhile, the French government said it had no intention of bowing to mob rule and canceling or relocating the matches, unlike other countries that have refused to host Israeli soccer matches. “France will not give way to those who sow hatred,” Macron's Interior Minister Bruno Routailot said.
The night before the match, thousands of people marched against Israel in Paris. As reported, police clashed with activists at a rally called by France's coalition of left-wing parties, including the Green Party and the “Anti-Capitalists.” Police used tear gas to disperse the violent marchers, and branches of American chains McDonald's and Starbucks on Boulevard Montmartre were vandalized.
In Europe, tourism and watching sports have become increasingly difficult for Israeli citizens, large-scale immigration has fundamentally changed the demographics of cities in many European states, and governments are increasingly making it difficult for Israelis to interact with Israeli teams. Increasingly, events such as soccer matches are considered a “high-risk” threat and are being ordered. I would rather do without. The Belgian team's recent home match against Israel did not find a single city in the country willing to host the match. As reported earlier this week:
Belgium is home to the institutions of the European Union and has long been notorious for being one of the most multicultural cities on the European continent. stubborn population Radical Islamists have flatly refused to allow Israeli soccer players to play there in this year's UEFA Championship. Belgian authorities said at the time that tensions over the Israel-Hamas war made it “impossible to stage this extremely high-risk match.”
brussels signal Publication reported In July, several other Belgian cities also announced they had refused to host the tournament, as the city of Brussels sought to avoid exposing the city's new multicultural population to visiting Israelis. Climate and Sport Minister Benoît Herlings said there was a “disproportionate risk” in playing matches at home, “given the potential for violence in the stadium itself, in its immediate vicinity and in the city centre. We can't deal with a situation like this.” There is a risk of endangering the safety of our fellow citizens. ”
