This is a high-risk match. The violence in Amsterdam comes a few days before a match in Paris between the French team and Israel. Already this Monday, November 4, pro-Palestinian activists invaded the FFF headquarters to denounce the match being held on French soil.
“There is an extremely reinforced security system of a very high level to avoid disturbances outside and inside the stadium”indicates the Paris police prefect this Friday, November 8. “We work with the French Football Federation, this is not usual. In the system that I am preparing, we prepare for all the hypotheses. But there is a very high level of security and everything will go well”assures Laurent Nuñez, on RMC.
The prefecture plans 26 companies of law enforcement to secure the Stade de France. Never seen before, according to our colleagues at RMC. All shops, bars and restaurants around the Stade de France will have to close in the afternoon, before the match. Security forces also plan to monitor the surroundings of the stadium.
Shocking images in Amsterdam
“I’m not Jewish, I’m not Jewish,” this young man warns before being punched and falling to the ground. The images are making the rounds on social networks. Young adults lynched, punched in the face, beaten to the ground or even thrown into a canal. “Say 'Freedom to Palestine' and we'll let you back up,” one of his attackers told him in English.
Earlier in the evening, nearly 3,000 Israelis landed in Amsterdam. They are there to support the Maccabi Tel-Aviv team coming to face Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League. This Friday morning, social networks reported provocations by a few groups of individuals: Palestinian flag torn down and provocative chants against “the Arabs”. Conclusion: politicized, football is no longer a party.
Tense context
Anti-Semitic acts are on the rise in France. A note from the National Directorate of Territorial Intelligence (DNRT) at the Ministry of the Interior indicates that anti-Semitic incidents in France are at their highest and jumped by 192% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023. 887 anti-Semitic incidents occurred were recorded over the first six months of this year.
In the Middle East, the Jewish state is at war. Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been waging a crusade against Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups since the October 7 attacks in southern Israel that injured 5,400 people and cost more than 1,200 lives. More than 40,000 people died in the Israeli counterattack which is now spreading across the territory of Lebanon.
