A meeting under high tension. This Thursday, November 14, the Stade de France will be the scene of a rather special Nations League match between the French team and Israel, against a backdrop of the flammable geopolitical context in the Middle East. A few hours before the match, the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, detailed the security system “out of the norm” deployed during this meeting « sensible »on the antenna of France Info .
“There is no clear threat, but it remains a high-risk match”first explained Laurent Nuñez. Indeed, the risks have been revived since the attacks in the streets of Amsterdam last week during the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. “What we learned from Amsterdam is that we must be present in public space, including in depth, outside the stadium, added the police chief. We will detect all groups of people in public spaces. » This is to ensure the protection of all spectators on the journey to the stadium, particularly on public transport and on public roads.
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Laurent Nuñez wanted to be reassuring about the capacity of the police to maintain the smooth running of the meeting and to ensure the safety of Israeli supporters. “I want to be both reassuring and very firm for those who want to cause trouble. We work with the Israeli embassy, which is quite satisfied with what we have put in place. »
“What happened at the Park must never happen again”
For this Nations League match, nearly 4,000 law enforcement officers will be deployed, while only 20,000 spectators are expected at the Stade de France. A substantial device which will make it possible to increase the number of searches around the enclosure and to ensure a double level of control and pat-downs. “Exceptionally, the police will be inside the stadium, in the corridors, ready to intervene”detailed Laurent Nuñez. The 60-year-old prefect added that some agents of the Israeli security forces will be alongside the delegation, as was the case during the Olympics. The Raid (search, assistance, intervention, deterrence) will also be mobilized to ensure the security of the Israeli national team.
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Regarding the possible messages concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which could appear within the confines of the Stade de France, the prefect of Paris reaffirmed that he would be intractable with the “troublemakers”. « Some banners will be seen as provocationshe said. In this context, this will not be acceptable. Political messages are banned in football stadiums. »
He explained that the FFF stewards will have the possibility of removing flags and messages which hold “political remarks”with “support from law enforcement”. On the subject of messages of a political nature in the stadiums, Laurent Nuñez returned to the tifo deployed by the ultras of PSG against Atlético de Madrid in support of Palestine. “What happened at the Parc des Princes must never happen againhe insisted. It was a political message: there was the State of Israel which was entirely covered in a keffiyeh. It was not a call for peace. UEFA sometimes makes interpretations which may seem curious when you read their regulations. »
Finally, the police chief returned to the demonstration in support of Palestine and against the holding of the France – Israel match, scheduled for this Thursday, November 14 at 6 p.m. at the town hall of Saint-Denis. Laurent Nuñez explained that he was in full discussion with the organizers to find an agreement on a location. According to him, the gathering should take place at Place du Front-Populaire (Saint-Denis), and not at the town hall of Saint-Denis, too close to the Stade de France and the public transport network frequented by supporters.
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