Two days before the event, this is still evolving but, as announced by the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, 4,000 police officers and gendarmes should be deployed around and in the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, as well as on public transport in the capital, Thursday evening, for the France-Israel Nations League football match. “This is unheard of. Usually, for the most sensitive matches, when we have 1,000 police officers, that’s already a lot,” underlines Éric Henry, national delegate of the Alliance union.
Between the war in the Middle East, the resurgence of anti-Semitism in France and, above all, the attack, last week, on Israeli supporters of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, in Amsterdam, on the sidelines of the Europa League match against Ajax , the French authorities have opted for an exceptional system around this high-risk event. Not to mention the presence of the head of state, Emmanuel Macron. This meeting is symbolic for Bruno Retailleau. Because, for the Minister of the Interior, there would be nothing worse for France than to show its incapacity to ensure the security of such a match by canceling it, as the rebellious parliamentarians wish.
Lessons learned from 2022
During this evening, 26 mobile force units, mainly CRS, will be on war footing. Three companies, or 240 police officers, will be employed solely to secure the Israeli delegation which already benefits from its own security services.
The Stade de France is not necessarily a good memory for the police. During the Champions League final in 2022, a controversy targeting Gérald Darmanin, the tenant of Beauvau at the time, arose following incidents with English supporters. “But the lessons have since been learned,” reassures Éric Henry. We had the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic Games. This made it possible to experiment with certain things such as algorithmic video protection or drones. »
“Worried for our colleagues”
On Thursday evening, security gates will be created and supporters, with registered tickets, will be checked several times. Not to mention the presence of drones, equestrian brigades, physiognomists, as well as the Raid and 1,600 security agents. An additional mobilization which questions union representatives. “When you see the over-demands, the addition of intense commitments, it’s psychological and physical fatigue, stress and collateral damage in relation to family life,” lists Éric Henry. We are worried about our colleagues. This is our main concern. »
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