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Beyond the symbolic aspect, the presence of Emmanuel Macron at the football match between France and Israel on Thursday evening at the Stade de France has a political stake.
It's a match that should have only interested those in the know. And again. The Nations League is a competition snubbed, even by football fans. She finds an unexpected resurgence of interest, unfortunately not for good reasons. This Thursday, the France team faces Israel in a tense atmosphere. Last week, incidents punctuated the post-match after the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv: Israeli supporters were targeted, chased and even beaten in the Dutch capital. Should we fear an outbreak of tension at the Stade de France?
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Since the attacks of October 7, 2023, anti-Semitic acts have exploded in France (+ 192% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023) and this match has strong political and symbolic importance. Bruno Retailleau brushed aside any possibility of relocation of the match, cancellation or behind closed doors – an idea defended by La France insoumise – promising an important security system.
Three presidents present
Emmanuel Macron, who often neglected the Blues when they played at the Stade de France, will be present. Just like Prime Minister Michel Barnier and the two former heads of state, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. The President of the Republic is expected at the turning point by the Jewish community. He had caused a stir by not attending the march against anti-Semitism on November 12, 2023. “The place of a President of the Republic is not to go to a march,” he argued.
In October, during Michel Barnier's speech in tribute to the victims of the Hamas attack on October 7, whistles accompanied the president's mention. The entourage of the Head of State justifies his presence this Thursday in order to “send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable anti-Semitic acts which followed the match in Amsterdam this week”. This France-Israel seems a return match for him. Surrounded by his Prime Minister and his two predecessors, Emmanuel Macron wants to show the image of a united and united Republic.
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