MPs from the far-left party La France insoumise (LFI) again demanded on Tuesday that the football match between France and Israel scheduled for Thursday in Saint-Denis “be canceled”, the head of the LFI group Mathilde Panot highlighting a risk of “very strong disorder”.
“We ask that the match which takes place on Thursday between France and Israel be canceled,” Ms. Panot declared during a press conference at the National Assembly.
Already at the beginning of November, LFI deputy Louis Boyard called for the cancellation of this League of Nations meeting at the Stade de France, to protest against “the policy of the Israeli government” and the war in Gaza.
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In response, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau assured that the holding of this match was “a question of principle”. Some 4,000 police officers and gendarmes, as well as 1,600 security agents, will be mobilized for this meeting, where Emmanuel Macron is expected.
However, “there would be a very strong disturbance”, affirmed Ms. Panot, therefore judging it “important […] what [cet] event cannot take place.
This match comes a week after that between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which was followed by violence targeting Israeli supporters in the Dutch city. The Israeli authorities also called on supporters on Sunday not to go to the Stade de France on Thursday.
Unsurprisingly, Ms. Panot also criticized the association’s gala
“Israel is Forever”, an event in support of Israel organized by several far-right personalities, which will be held on Wednesday in Paris, and to which the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezazel Smotrich is invited but whose presence will not has not been confirmed.
“We have been asking for several weeks that [ce] gala is banned and that Mr. Smotrich is not welcome in France”, in order to “not send a signal of total impunity on French territory”, added Ms. Panot.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated Tuesday that he had not had confirmation of Bezalel Smotrich’s coming to Paris this week.
On Sunday, Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez stressed that he had “no reason” to ban the gala, specifying that it will bring together “barely a few hundred people” and that it “is held every year “.
The appeal filed with the Paris administrative court to ban the gala also failed. The court ruled on Saturday November 9 that there was no reason to ban it.
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