France mounts security operation for Israel match after Amsterdam violence

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Thousands of police officers will be deployed in Paris for Thursday’s France-Israel football international, following last week’s violence in Amsterdam where Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were attacked.

Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 4,000 officers will be on duty, with 2,500 stationed at the Stade de France in the northern suburbs of Paris, and the remainder assigned to public transport and other parts of the capital.

Additionally, around 1,600 private security guards will be stationed at the stadium, and an elite anti-terrorism unit will be assigned to safeguard the visiting Israeli team.

“It is a high-risk match [because of] an extremely tense geopolitical context,” Mr Nuñez said.

“We will not allow any attempt to disturb public order.”

The Uefa Nations League match is under intense scrutiny following the violence after last Thursday’s match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Netherlands.

The Stade de France, with a capacity of 80,000, will only be a quarter full for Thursday’s match. Following advice from the Israeli government, only around 100 Israeli fans are expected to travel to Paris, though other supporters of Israel may also attend.

The recent attack on Israeli fans in Amsterdam has sparked widespread condemnation across Europe, with politicians decrying a “return of antisemitism.”

Authorities in Amsterdam reported that Maccabi fans were involved in acts of vandalism, including tearing down a Palestinian flag, attacking a taxi, and chanting anti-Arab slogans.

These fans were subsequently targeted by “small groups of rioters… on foot, by scooter or car,” according to a 12-page city report.

The ongoing violence between Israel and its Middle Eastern neighbors has the potential to spill over into Europe, where countries like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have large Muslim populations of North African descent living alongside much smaller Jewish communities, many of whom strongly identify with Israel.

In a show of solidarity with European Jews following the incidents in Amsterdam, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will attend Thursday’s match, which is set to begin at 20:45 (19:45 GMT).

He will be joined by Prime Minister Michel Barnier and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.

Supporters are advised to expect identity checks ahead of the game, and bars and restaurants in the vicinity have been instructed to close from the afternoon.

The Stade de France was previously the site of significant disorder during the 2022 UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, but it has since hosted both the Rugby World Cup and Paris Olympics without incident.

The far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, which aligns with Palestinians and Lebanese in their conflicts with Israel, has called for Thursday’s match to be canceled or, at the very least, for President Macron to withdraw his attendance.

“We do not want our head of state honouring a country that commits genocide,” said LFI deputy David Guiraud. Israel has denied allegations of genocide as baseless and grossly distorted.

But Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said it was out of the question to cancel or relocate the match. “France does not give way to those who sow hatred,” he said.

France and Israel are in the same group in the Uefa competition, alongside Italy and Belgium. In their first leg – played in Budapest – France beat Israel 4-1.

Pre-match tensions were already in evidence on the eve of the match after a pro-Israeli “gala” event was given the go-ahead in Paris, which the far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich was at one point expected to attend – although it was later thought his “presence” would be by video-link.

Several thousand pro-Palestinian and anti-racist organizations staged protests in Paris to coincide with the match, leading to clashes with police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Protesters targeted a McDonald’s on Boulevard Montmartre during the unrest.

Relations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have soured in recent weeks, with Macron accusing Netanyahu of “spreading barbarism” in Gaza and Lebanon. Tensions escalated further when Macron was quoted suggesting that Netanyahu should heed UN calls for a ceasefire, citing the fact that Israel itself was established by a UN decision. This comment was seen in Israel as an affront to Jews who had perished during the country’s war of independence.

The diplomatic friction between the two countries deepened when two French officials were briefly detained by Israeli authorities at a holy site in East Jerusalem under French administration.

Macron’s handling of the Middle East has been criticized for inconsistency, with his approach shifting erratically between vocal support for Israel and solidarity with its Arab neighbors. This “zigzag” foreign policy has been a hallmark of his stance in the region and across other areas.