Thursday’s match between Paris and Maccabi is causing great tensions. Feared incidents, boycott of ultras, maximum security… A look behind the scenes of a meeting under high surveillance.
In a context of heightened national and geopolitical tensions, Thursday evening’s Basketball match between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv promises to be under close surveillance. This match of the 22nd day of the Euroleague was classified as high risk, at level 4 on a scale of 5, by the authorities.
An extraordinary security system
According to a source close to the matter, the arrival of the Israeli team is the subject of an imposing security system for fear of incidents, against a backdrop of bloody conflict in the Middle East in recent months. The Hamas massacres in October 2023 and the terrible Israeli response in the Gaza Strip have fueled a climate of tension.
The police headquarters promises reinforced deployment around the Adidas Arena, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, but also “in depth”, particularly on public transport. Around 1,500 places have been reserved for Maccabi supporters, in a dedicated “parking area”.
Worrying precedents
The specter of incidents hangs over this poster, several precedents having left their mark. In mid-December, during a Champions League match between Nanterre and Hapoel Holon, Palestinian flags were brought into the room despite searches. The meeting was even briefly interrupted after the intrusion of pro-Palestinian activists, triggering scuffles in the stands.
Parisian ultras boycott
Faced with these risks, the Parisii kop, the main group of Paris Basketball ultra supporters, announced that it would boycott the events in the stands on Thursday evening. The association justifies this choice by the desire not to “politicize the kop or create divisions”, believing that there are “things which go further than a simple match”.
Our values and the values of humanism in general.
– The Parisii kop explains its boycott
Calls for the match to be banned
In a more radical stance, certain movements such as EuroPalestine and BDS are directly opposed to holding the meeting. They denounce a “genocide” in Gaza. LFI deputy Thomas Portes even asked the City of Paris “to ban this match”, while welcoming the boycott of Parisian ultras.
A pro-Israeli mobilization
On the other hand, several movements are calling for strong support for Israel and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, a true “nation club”. According to Mélanie Pauli-Geysse of the No Silence collective, a dress code with French and Israeli flags is planned. “The mobilization around sporting events has given a breath of fresh air to militant acts, to the demand for an identity,” she assures.
A match under very high tension
This poster may pit two basketball teams against each other, but in reality it crystallizes deep divides that go far beyond the sporting framework. On the one hand, pro-Palestinian movements are fired up, ready to fight. On the other, a community determined to show its support for Israel.
In the middle, players who will try to concentrate on the game despite the electric atmosphere. And all around, an XXL police force to ward off any excess. Paris-Maccabi or geopolitics taking over the courts. Let’s hope that sport, despite everything, will emerge victorious on Thursday evening.
