what you need to know about the “very unusual” security system planned for Thursday November 14

STADE DE FRANCE – This is one of the most feared football matches on French soil in recent years. During France-Israel this Thursday, November 14 at the Stade de France, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, a total of 4,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized for this meeting classified as “high risk”announced this Sunday, November 10, Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez.

Such a deployment of law enforcement corresponds to a “extremely reinforced device”, “very unusual”for an international match, added the police prefect on BFMTV. Especially since an international right-wing Jewish movement has announced plans to hold a rally in Paris to fight against anti-Semitism, in the presence of a far-right Israeli minister, on the eve of the match.

The 4,000 police forces will be deployed around and, rarely, in the stadium, as well as on public transport and throughout Paris. Around 1,600 security agents will also be mobilized at the Stade de France and the Raid, the elite unit of the national police, will be engaged for the security of the Israel team, continued Laurent Nuñez.

“It will be a high-risk match”he said again, in “a very tense geopolitical context” and a week after violence in Amsterdam between groups of individuals and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters that sparked international condemnation.

Palestinian flags banned

“We will not tolerate any excesses or disturbances to public order”declared the police prefect, adding that controls to enter the stadium would be “extremely reinforced” but that the police did not have “requested that there be a limited tonnage” in the stadium for this Nations League meeting.

It will also be forbidden to enter the enclosure with a Palestinian flag and only French and Israeli flags will be authorized. “For spectators, there will be a security system around the stadium with double control: at the entrance to the protection perimeter, then at the entrance to the stadium. With each time identity check, search, pat-down”specifies Laurent Nuñez. It is therefore essential to travel with an identity document.

While Israel has advised its nationals against going to the match this Sunday, the French Federation (FFF) has for its part estimated the number of tickets sold for the match “around 20,000”very far from the approximately 80,000 seats available at the Stade de France, while specifying that the ticket office was still open. It is therefore still possible to obtain places on the federation website in a price range between 23 and 145 euros.

These tickets are “strictly” registered, with a deadline constraint, indicated the police headquarters this Sunday, as reported The Parisian : “the deadline for modifying beneficiaries and transferring tickets is set for the day of the match, 11/14 at 12 p.m. After 12 hours it will no longer be possible to change names or transfer. »

In addition, backpacks will be prohibited, as will containers with liquid.

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