a Bordeaux student brandishes a Palestinian flag and is excluded from the stadium

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Thursday November 14, 2024, the French team conceded a draw (0-0) against Israel for the fifth day of the Nations League.

In a stadium in France almost vide and an almost non-existent spectacle on the lawn, the events in tribunes came to liven up a very pale evening.

Indeed, a spectator was strongly noticed on social networks after the meeting. It is aboutEmmanuel Hoaraustudent at Bordeaux Montaigne University.

The 20-year-old man brandished a palestinian flag at halftime of the match. A photo quickly went viral with more than 68,000 likes on X (formerly Twitter) and relayed by several political figures. For Bordeaux newshe is income on his gesture.

A moment he's been waiting for since February

The idea came to fruition last February during the Nations League group draw. There France inherited Italy, Belgium and… Israel. During this period, the Jewish state intensified its response after the attacks of October 7, 2023.

Emmanuel Hoarau, attentive to the situation at Middle Eastlooks at the draw and wants to mark the occasion. “I sent a message to a friend telling him that we will be at the stadium on November 14 to show our opinion about the conflict,” explains the student.

Thing promised, thing due, he went – ​​without his friend – to the Stade de France to attend the meeting. To mark the occasion, he needed an accessory. “Before taking my train, I went to Victory Square to buy a Palestinian flag.”

One person shouts “Free Gaza”

Once arrived in front of the Stade de France and the impressive security device deployed for the occasion, Emmanuel Hoarau managed to pass the stewards' search like a “letter in the post”.

The flag was hidden under his t-shirt, out of sight. An obligation because the Palestinian flag was forbidden in the enclosure.

In the stands, the Bordeaux player waits for the moment to succeed. “In the Israeli yard, a clash erupted and a person next to me shouted “Free Gaza”. So I went to see him to take a photo,” says Emmanuel Hoarau.

At halftime, he brandished his flag and published the photo on Bruno RetailleauMinister of the Interior. “I hesitated on the wording of the tweet. I wanted to send a strong message to defend a fundamental right, freedom of expression.”

Very quickly, the post gained momentum on social networks. It has already been seen over 2 million times.

Kicked out of the stadium

Shortly after the hour mark, a security guard approached the student. “He asks me if it was really me who waved the Palestinian flag then he orders me to follow him,” summarizes the Girondin.

With the trembling handEmmanuel Hoarau gives the flag to the agent and heads towards the corridor where a superior is waiting for him indicate the exit. “I collected my flag then I left the stadium with around fifty CRS in front of me “.

After this episode, the student was able to consult his phone to see the size taken by his photo. “I received a multitude of kind messages.” The mission is successful, Emmanuel Hoarau will have marked this France-Israel in his own way.

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