“We are two kilometers from the Stade de France and we have to be heard all the way there: And long live the struggle of the Palestinian people! »Several hundred people gathered on the Place du Front Populaire in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) this Thursday, around 6:30 p.m., to say “no to the France – Israel match”. Once announced in front of city hall, the gathering was authorized but moved by the Paris police headquarters, which wanted to avoid flows of spectators and demonstrators crossing paths in the city center.
The deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis Éric Coquerel (LFI), who had submitted this request for demonstration to the prefecture, was one of the first to speak. He notably denounced “the presence of the President of the French Republic, the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Interior and two former presidents (Editor’s note: Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande)” in the stands of the Dionysian enclosure.
“How do you want Benyamin Netanyahu to hear a message?” asks the rebellious parliamentarian in front of the audience. You can continue: France doesn't care, France looks elsewhere. Or rather, she's watching a football match. » The elected official even welcomed “a first victory”. “There will only be 20,000 spectators at the stadium,” he emphasizes. Supporters of the France team boycotted this meeting. » Applause rings out across the square.
Karima, a 59-year-old kindergarten teacher, came as a neighbor “to protest against what has been happening for more than a year in Israel and the Gaza Strip.” “Everyone must live in peace,” she adds. This match is a provocation: there are 4,000 police officers around the stadium while there will be no one inside…”
For this 27-year-old student living in Saint-Denis, “sport is obviously political”. “When we organize a match like this, it’s as if we are providing support to the State of Israel,” continues the man who feels “a lot of injustice” about this current situation in the Middle East.
“Match of Shame”; “We are not playing the genocide”… The gathering continued with the speeches of numerous groups in support of the Palestinian people and the Lebanese people, and very demanding speeches against the French and Israeli governments. All under the gaze of numerous French and foreign journalists. The crowd dispersed peacefully around 8 p.m.
