Israeli and French fans got into a brief altercation during Thursday’s Nations League soccer game, which had heavy security presence following the antisemitic violence in Amsterdam this week.
Just after the game kicked off at 8:45 p.m., local time, officials reported a small brawl between Israeli and French soccer fans at a top section of the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis.
Some of those involved in the scuffle were wearing Israeli flags draped over their backs as they wrestled with other people in the stands.
Security officials rushed to stop the fighting, which only lasted a minute, according to local police. It remains unclear what caused the altercation.
Prior to the match, 4,000 police officers and security staff were deployed to the stadium to maintain peace following two nights of violence in Amsterdam, with an additional 1,500 officers stationed at the city’s public transport sites.
“What we learned from Amsterdam is that we need to be present in the public space, including far away from the stadium,” said French police chief Laurent Nuñez.
Reporters at the game noted that at certain spots in the stadium, the sheer security presence appeared to outnumber the actual number of fans who turned up for the game over fears of another mass attack of Jewish fans.
Less than 20,000 of the 80,000 available tickets were sold for the game, with only about 150 Israeli supporters present, officials said.
The low turnout was likely a result of the warning issued by Israel’s National Security Council, which called on citizens to avoid sports and cultural events following the Amsterdam incident.
During the French match, opposing fans also jeered and whistled over the Israeli national anthem, raising tensions already prevalent outside the stadium.
Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in the city to protest the match and Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Unlike the demonstrations in Amsterdam, French police reported no incidents during the protest.
French President Emmanuel Macron had vowed to avoid the mistake in Amsterdam that left more than two dozen people injured when anti-Israel protesters attacked visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans.
The attacks, which were slammed as a modern-day pogrom, forced Macron to mobilize the French police force in the days ahead of Sunday’s match.
“We will not give in to antisemitism, anywhere. And violence, including in the French Republic, will never prevail, nor will intimidation,” Macron told French media just before the game began.
With Post wires
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
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