French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne affirmed on Monday that Israeli athletes are welcome at the Paris Olympics. This statement comes after a hard-left member of the French parliament caused outrage by suggesting they should stay away.
“The Israeli delegation is welcome in France,” Sejourne said in Brussels ahead of talks with his Israeli counterpart, adding that the call by France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes for the country’s exclusion had been “irresponsible and dangerous”.
“We will ensure the security of the delegation,” Sejourne added.
Portes drew criticism from French Jewish groups, political opponents, and even some allies for saying Israeli athletes were “not welcome” and calling for “mobilisation” around the Olympics during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
He later told the Parisien newspaper that “France’s diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to bar the Israeli flag and anthem, as is done for Russia” due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the comments had “hints of anti-Semitism,” while the head of the Crif Jewish organization, Yonathan Arfi, accused Portes of “putting a target on the backs” of Israeli athletes.
Portes’ remarks were condemned over the weekend by some allies from the more moderate Socialists, although they were supported by others in LFI.