If the crowds in the stands of the Stade de France are likely to be historically low for a Blues match, it will be quite different in the presidential stand. The France-Israel poster having become a political symbol, there will be a crowd in the part reserved for VIPs. Starting with Emmanuel Macron, keen to express his “solidarity” after last week’s anti-Semitic violence in Amsterdam. But also Prime Minister Michel Barnier, his Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau ― “France does not back down, the Republic does not submit,” he insisted again Tuesday evening on TF1 ― and that of Sports Gil Avérous .
Former heads of state Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande have indicated that they will be present. Just like the president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse. Anne Hidalgo ― traveling to Brazil ― will be absent.
Several parliamentarians considered it important to come, like the president of the PS group in the Senate ― and former Minister of Sports ― Patrick Kanner. Should also be in Saint-Denis: the Macronist deputies Aurore Bergé, Karl Olive, Emmanuelle Hoffman, Christophe Marion, Sébastien Huyghe (LR, related Ensemble pour la République) and Caroline Yadan.
“We are going there to reaffirm our fight against the anti-Semitism which is plaguing our country,” explains the deputy for the 8th constituency of French people living abroad, Caroline Yadan, which includes French people living in Israel. The hydra that we thought buried in the trash of History is now completely uninhibited, assumed, trivialized and becomes permanent: from universities, to football stadiums, through the streets of Amsterdam, Paris, New York and elsewhere, the hunt for Jews, presented as dirty Zionistsrecurrence, anti-Semitism feeds on hatred of Israel and vomits its propaganda in the name of human rights and anti-racism. » Socialist deputy Jérôme Guedj plans to attend the match, if he can.
If the elected officials jostle at the gate, others, notably at France Insoumise, believe that this match has no reason to take place and call for a gathering at 6 p.m. in front of the town hall of Saint-Denis, at 1.5 km from the Stade de France. LFI national coordinator Manuel Bompard calls for “the cancellation of the match in view of the crimes committed by the Israeli army”.
As for the deputy of his movement Thomas Portes, he calls for a boycott on the part of the spectators: the “people of France refuse to participate in this whitewashing operation through sport of a government which is committing genocide”, he said. written on the X network. This Thursday evening, the match will not be confined to the pitch of the Stade de France.
