Extensive police force for the match between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv

This is a first for a Basketball match on French soil: the services of the National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH) have classified this meeting as high risk (4 on a scale of 5). Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday January 15 in the Gaza Strip, the arrival of an Israeli team in France as part of a sporting competition is the subject of a system security increased tenfold, for fear of excesses and incidents.

Several hundred police officers and gendarmes

This will once again be the case on Thursday January 16 for this European competition match between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv at the Adidas Arena in Paris. Around 2,000 Israeli supporters are expected, and the authorities fear excesses in the stands and the streets of the city.

Several units of mobile forces will be mobilized according to the prefectural decree of January 14. The system, with several hundred police officers and gendarmes, should make it possible to avoid any clashes. The Paris police headquarters insisted on a ban on the wearing and transport of flags other than those of the match teams.

This heightened vigilance comes in particular after the episode of December 18. During the Champions League basketball match between Nanterre 92 and Hapoël Holon, incidents took place in the Palais des sports Maurice-Thorez. During the meeting, many supporters of Israel mobilized in the stands in opposition to Palestinian flags which had been introduced into the grounds of the Sports Palace despite searches at the entrance and the police presence.

The Parisian kop will not host the meeting

The match was even interrupted after an invasion of the floor by pro-Palestinian activists and then scuffles in the stands. To avoid finding itself in such a situation, Paris Basketball plans to set up its own private security system within the Adidas Arena, it will be greatly reinforced compared to usual meetings.

An exceptional system had already been put in place for a Nations League football match at the Stade de France on November 14. France hosted Israel (0-0) under the surveillance of more than 4,000 police and gendarmes. Parking had also been reserved for Jewish spectators and for French-Israeli dual nationals. Despite all these precautions, a minor fight broke out after the display of prohibited Palestinian flags.

In addition to the security precautions planned for the meeting on Thursday, January 16 between Paris Basketball and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, the Parisii supporters’ club announced via a press release on at the Israeli club: “There will be no drums, no singing, no tarpaulins”.