After the controversies, appeasement: Emmanuel Macron intends to mark Thursday his support for the fight against anti-Semitism by attending the France-Israel football match and to reassure the Jewish community, deeply worried after the scenes of violence in Amsterdam against Israeli supporters .
His two predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, as well as Prime Minister Michel Barnier will also be present at the Stade de France which is expected to be three quarters empty and under close surveillance for this high-risk meeting. The arrival of Emmanuel Macron, however, constitutes a particularly strong gesture after a series of tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Jewish community over positions considered hostile to Israel.
“He is going there because there was strong emotion, particularly after Amsterdam. It is important to show support, to also say that we will not give in in the face of fears”sums up those around him, while the Israeli authorities advise against going to the League of Nations match in Saint-Denis. “I know there have been controversies and misunderstandings”continues a close friend of the president. “But for us, there is no doubt about the involvement of the President of the Republic against anti-Semitism”he notes.
On the night of November 7 to 8 after a Europa League match, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were chased and beaten in the streets of Amsterdam. These attacks, described as anti-Semitic in particular by Israel and the Dutch authorities, left 20 to 30 injured and sparked indignation in many Western capitals.
“Amsterdam counter-match”
Emmanuel Macron has ignited Israel and the Jewish community in France by calling for an end to sales of arms used in Gaza and accusing the Jewish state of “sow barbarity” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Comments described as“excess” and of ” injury “ by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif). To the point that the name of the head of state provoked boos on October 7, during an evening in Paris marking the first anniversary of the massacres committed by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel.
His presence on Thursday at the Stade de France is therefore all the more welcome. “It is a strong symbol of Republican affirmation in the face of anti-Semitism and I am delighted that it has started behind a large presence of elected officials”declared the president of Crif, Yonathan Arfi, to AFP.
For Lukas Aubin, expert in sport and geopolitics at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (Iris), “The idea behind it is to make this event a counter-match to Amsterdam and try to ease tensions.” “We are determined to support the Israeli team, to denounce the acts that took place in Amsterdam and, in turn, to show France's support for Israel […] even though not all the gray areas have been clarified” on Amsterdam, he adds.
At the risk of attracting the wrath of Israel's detractors, in the name of a delicate policy of balance between Israel's right to defend itself and the denunciation of the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza since the attacks of the 7 October 2023. Paris insists that they must respect international law.
“To give up this match is to go backwards”
“France must manage to make this match the symbol of anti-Amsterdam. An empty stadium would be a symbolic victory for anti-Semitism »adds Yonathan Arfi.
Alone « 25 000 » Places were sold on Wednesday, according to Sports Minister Gil Avérous, unprecedented in the history of the stadium which can hold up to 80,000 spectators. “This disenchantment among a certain number of supporters is not necessarily linked to a boycott of the match, there is also the potential fear that the events in Amsterdam will happen again,” points out Lukas Aubin.
The pressure promises to be great on the police and the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, who refused to relocate the match, against a backdrop of calls from the radical left for its cancellation or boycott “in view of the crimes committed by the Israeli army” in Gaza.
“To give up this match is to go backwards. There is no question of vindicating those who indulge in anti-Semitism.” insists Secretary of State for Citizenship Othman Nasrou, interviewed by AFP. A reasoning refuted by La France insoumise. “This leads to assimilating our Jewish compatriots with the Israeli state when they are in no way responsible for its actions! »believes MP David Guiraud.
