It is a match closely monitored by the authorities. And the decision of the National Division for Combating Hooliganism (DNLH) proves it. As announced by RMC Sport and confirmed by Le Parisien, the Euroleague meeting between Paris Basketball and the Israelis Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday evening (8:30 p.m.) was classified as risky by these specialist police officers. They even rated it 4 on a scale of 5, a first for a basketball match played in France.
What does level 4 mean? “Proven risks of disturbances to public order linked to chronic disputes between supporters or to the proven presence of supporters at risk”, explains, generically, the DNLH. The reason? The risks around this already sensitive opposition, anticipated for several months by the authorities, due to the conflict in the Middle East have intensified in recent weeks.
In December, another European basketball meeting, this time in the Champions League, between Nanterre and the Israelis of Hapoel Holon, was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists. Scuffles, also involving people who came to support Holon, then broke out in the stands of the Hauts-de-Seine club.
Around 1,500 seats at the Adidas Arena, where Thursday’s match is being played, have been reserved by figures from the Jewish community, almost half of them by the Diaspora Defense Forces. The latter must go by bus to the enclosure and will take part in the match, special t-shirt for the occasion on their back, in the visitors’ stand.
At the same time, groups supporting Palestine communicated about the holding of this meeting. “In the context of the genocide that has been ongoing for fifteen months, the holding of this match is scandalous. Stop her! », Launched Friday on X Urgence Palestine. EuroPalestine broadcast a video for Parisian basketball player Nadir Hifi, encouraging him to mobilize for “the children of Gaza”. La France Insoumise MP Thomas Portes called on Monday to cancel the match.
In this context, the police intend to prevent any excess or confrontation in and around the Adidas Arena. The authorities will also keep an eye on the movement of supporters on public transport. The police system, reinforced compared to a classic Paris basketball match, was ratified during a meeting held Monday at the Paris Police headquarters. When contacted, the latter did not wish to go into the security details of the event for the time being.
