The sporting festival is overtaken by the tragic effects of the war between Israel and Hamas. After the violence against Jewish supporters in Amsterdam, on the sidelines of the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, the football match scheduled for Thursday, November 14, at 8:45 p.m., between France and Israel is surrounded by strong tension. The Stade de France, which hosts the two national teams, is placed under high security, with a system “extremely reinforced”, “very unusual” for an international match, according to French authorities.
Considering the event “high risk”the Paris police headquarters announced the deployment of 4,000 police officers and gendarmes around and in the stadium, in Saint-Denis, as well as in transport and in the capital. Around 1,600 agents are mobilized in the sports arena while the Raid, an elite police unit, supports the Israeli footballers.
Relocation or cancellation requests
Beyond the security issue for the government, French political leaders want to demonstrate that they are not backing down in the face of anti-Semitism and racism, in the stadiums and beyond. This is the reason why the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, refused on November 8, the day after the violence in Amsterdam, to relocate or cancel the meeting. The National Rally deputy Julien Odoul had suggested organizing the match in Corsica while the deputies from La France insoumise have several times proposed canceling it.
“Some are calling for the France-Israel match to be relocated. I do not accept it: France is not backing down because that would amount to abdicating in the face of threats of violence and in the face of anti-Semitism. wrote the minister on his account Debrecen, Hungary.
The “symbolic dimension” of the match
Also quickly, on November 10, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron announced that he would be in the gallery on Thursday evening, because it is “to send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable anti-Semitic acts which followed the match in Amsterdam”according to those around him. Former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande will also be present. Now a socialist deputy, the latter renounced a long-standing commitment to express his support, due to “the symbolic dimension” of the match for the fight against anti-Semitism, confirms a relative.
Prime Minister Michel Barnier will also be at the Stade de France. “No manifestation of anti-Semitism can be tolerated. Too many events in recent hours, in France as in the Netherlands, remind us that this abjection must be fought relentlessly, in all its forms. he reacted on X, after the attacks in Amsterdam.
With this demonstration of unity, the current and past representatives of the executive intend to put their weight as moral and political authorities on the defense of the great principles. While the Israeli government called on supporters to avoid going to Saint-Denis, the Minister Delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, assured that “Israeli footballers and supporters are welcome in Paris”as was the case for Israeli athletes and supporters during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
