Paris — Protests erupted in Paris on Wednesday against a gala organized by French far-right figures in support of Israel. The event, intended to raise funds for the Israeli military, had included Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich among its invited guests, though he didn’t end up attending.
The demonstrations came on the eve of a high-stakes soccer match at France’s national stadium against the Israeli national team, overshadowed by tensions around Israel’s wars against the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups. Authorities in Paris announced that more than 4,000 police officers and 1,600 stadium staff would be deployed for the game.
Smotrich, a vocal advocate of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, had been expected to attend Wednesday’s gala, dubbed “Israel is Forever,” which was planned by an association of the same name. The group’s stated goal is to “mobilize French-speaking Zionist forces.”
After days of growing criticism of the event, Smotrich’s office confirmed Wednesday that the minister would not travel to Paris to participate.
But the invitation to Smotrich drew sharp criticism from local associations, unions and left-wing political parties, prompting two protests in the French capital. The minister, a hardline leader, has been promoting far-reaching settlement plans in the West Bank and drew international condemnation this week by saying he hopes the election of Donald Trump in the US would clear the way for Israeli annexation of the West Bank — a step that would likely extinguish Palestinian statehood dreams.
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The French Foreign Ministry called Smotrich’s remarks “contrary to international law” and counterproductive to efforts to reduce regional tensions.
Protesters take part in a rally against the ‘Israel is Forever’ gala organized by far-right Franco-Israeli figures, in Paris, November 13, 2024. (Christophe Ena/AP)
Critics also pointed at Nili Kupfer-Naouri, president of the “Israel is Forever” association, who sparked outrage in 2023, after the Israel-Hamas war started, when she tweeted that “no civilian in Gaza was innocent.” Gazan civilians have been found to be holding hostages abducted from Israel in their homes.
On Wednesday night, several hundred protesters marched through central Paris, denouncing the event as a “gala of hatred and shame.”
“Imagine if an association were hosting a gala for Hezbollah or Hamas — there’s no way the police would allow that,” said Melkir Saib, a 30-year-old protester. “The situation is just unfair.” (The EU designates Hamas and the military wing of Hezbollah as terrorist entities.)
Some demonstrators broke windows at a McDonald’s along the route, though the march was largely peaceful.
A separate group, including Jewish leftist organizations opposed to racism and antisemitism, gathered near the Arc de Triomphe chanting slogans against the gala and Smotrich.
French authorities defended the event, with Paris police chief Laurent Nunez stating that the gala posed “no major threat to public order.”
Protesters vandalize the windows of a McDonalds restaurant during a rally organized by political parties (La France Insoumise – LFI, Les Ecologistes – EELV and Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste – NPA) against the ‘Israel is Forever’ gala organized by far-right Franco-Israeli figures, in Paris, on November 13, 2024. (Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
The protests came days after tensions flared in Paris — a massive “Free Palestine” banner was displayed during a Paris Saint-Germain Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last week — and after riots and violence targeting Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam.
Only Israeli, French flags at Paris soccer game
French authorities stepped up security ahead of the Israel-France Nations League soccer match in Paris on Thursday, hoping to avoid a repeat of the violent clashes in Amsterdam.
“It’s an exceptional measure, three to four times greater than what we usually mobilize,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio on Wednesday.
Only French and Israel flags will be allowed inside the stadium, he added.
In a rare move, police will also be deployed inside the stadium. Civilian staff are normally assigned to those roles.
An elite police unit will guard the Israeli team on its journey to and from the stadium and another 1,600 civilian security personnel will also be on duty at the match.
Israel’s head coach Ran Ben Shimon (C) talks to his players during a training session at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on November 13, 2024, on the eve of the UEFA Nations League League A Group A2 football match between France and Israel. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said after the Amsterdam clashes there was never any question the game would go ahead as planned.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Michel Barnier, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, Sports Minister Gil Averous, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, and former French president François Hollande were all set to attend the game in a show of solidarity. Israel’s ambassador Joshua Zarka will also be there.
Still, turnout will likely be low, with just 20,000 fans expected in the 80,000-capacity stadium north of Paris.
Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon said he wanted to separate soccer from the “difficult” context as his side prepared to take on France.
When asked about the context in which Thursday’s game was taking place, Ben Shimon said he remained focused on the match.
Passions over Israel’s war with Palestinian terror group Hamas in Gaza run high in France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities. Reports of antisemitic acts increased by an “unprecedented” 284 percent in 2023, France’s Human Rights Commission said in June, while anti-Muslim acts rose around a third.
The ongoing multifront war was triggered when Hamas led a devastating October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw the kidnapping of 251 people to Gaza.
In this image taken from video, people march with Palestinian flags near the Ajax stadium in Amsterdam, November 7, 2024. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were targeted by anti-Israel rioters in what victims and witnesses said was an organized attack by Arab and Muslim gangs following a soccer match. (AP Photo InterVision)
Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the Thursday night violence carried out by local Arab and Muslim gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.
Aurélien Bernheïm, co-founder of the Movement for French Jews, a right-wing Zionist youth group, said around 30 of his organization’s members would attend the Paris match.
“But I won’t hide it, many of these young people were scared to go as they had in their heads these appalling images from Amsterdam,” he said.
Walid Attalah, president of the Associations of Palestinians in Ile de France, said the match should have been canceled.
“Russia has been banned because there was the occupation of Ukraine, it was illegal, there were war crimes, but Israel is never sanctioned for what it does,” he said.
Some supporters, however, shrugged off concerns.
“I’m not worried,” said Yannick Vanhee, who leads a French supporters association in Dunkirk. “Authorities have been putting more and more security into these events.”
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
