A few hours before the start of the meeting, the sporting stakes of which are largely overshadowed by the context of the conflict in the Middle East and the recent violence in the Netherlands, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France says he “vigilant”.
The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif) Yonathan Arfi said Thursday “restless and watchful”a few hours before the match “symbol” France-Israel, hoping that it will show «the anti-Amsterdam». “We are worried. We are vigilant because we know that this evening the France-Israel match is being held under high security tension, with many threats.declared the Crif representative on RTL.
The pressure is at its height before this football meeting counting for the League of Nations, the sporting stakes of which are largely eclipsed by the context of the conflict in the Middle East and the climate exacerbated by the recent violence on the sidelines of a Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam. More than 4,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed to ensure security. “You have to go see this match because it has become a symbol that goes beyond sport, an almost political symbol of affirmation in the face of anti-Semitism, of republican affirmation in short”said Yonathan Arfi.
Macron, Hollande and Sarkozy in the stands
“It’s the anti-Amsterdam that we must show this evening”pleaded the president of Crif, in reference to the serious incidents following the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, on the night of November 7 to 8 in the Netherlands.
For the president of Crif, the presence of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron in the stands of the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, as well as his predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy according to several media, is “a strong signal”.
“We need symbols in our country. Faced with anti-Semitism, but faced with hatred in general, we need to remember what civil harmony is.he added.
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