France mounts security operation for Israel match after Amsterdam violence
Thousands of police officers will be deployed in Paris to ensure safety during Thursday’s France-Israel football match, following last week’s violence in Amsterdam where Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were attacked. Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez announced that 4,000 officers would be on patrol, with 2,500 stationed at the Stade de France in the northern suburbs and the remainder covering public transport and other areas within the capital.
Additionally, approximately 1,600 private security guards will be assigned to the stadium, and an elite anti-terrorism unit will be tasked with protecting the Israeli team. “This is a high-risk match, given the highly charged geopolitical climate,” Nuñez stated. “We will not tolerate any disruption of public order.”
The UEFA Nations League match is being closely monitored following violent clashes after last Thursday’s Ajax vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv game in the Netherlands. Despite the Stade de France’s capacity of 80,000, the stadium is expected to be only a quarter full. In line with Israeli government advice, no more than about 100 Israeli fans are expected to attend, although other supporters may still be present.
The recent violence in Amsterdam, where Israeli fans were chased through the streets, has sparked condemnation across Europe over the resurgence of antisemitism. Maccabi supporters were reportedly involved in acts of vandalism, including tearing down a Palestinian flag, attacking a taxi, and chanting anti-Arab slogans. These fans were later targeted by small groups of rioters on foot, scooters, and in cars, according to a city report.
The ongoing violence between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East has raised concerns about its potential to spread to Europe, where countries like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have significant Muslim populations of North African descent living alongside smaller Jewish communities, many of whom strongly identify with Israel.
To express solidarity with European Jews after Amsterdam, President Emmanuel Macron has said he will attend Thursday’s match, which begins at 20:45 (19:45 GMT).
He will be joined by Prime Minister Michel Barnier as well as previous presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.
Supporters have been told to expect identity checks ahead of the game. Bars and restaurants in the area have been told to close from the afternoon.
The Stade de France was the scene of a dangerous breakdown in law-and-order at a Uefa Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in 2022. However since then the Rugby World Cup and Paris Olympics have both been peacefully staged there.
France’s far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party – which sides with Palestinians and Lebanese in the conflicts with Israel – has called for Thursday’s match to be cancelled, or at least for President Macron to refuse to attend.
“We do not want our head of state honouring a country that commits genocide,” said LFI deputy David Guiraud. Israel has denied allegations of genocide as baseless and grossly distorted.
But Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said it was out of the question to cancel or relocate the match. “France does not give way to those who sow hatred,” he said.
France and Israel are in the same group in the Uefa competition, alongside Italy and Belgium. In their first leg – played in Budapest – France beat Israel 4-1.
Pre-match tensions were already in evidence after a pro-Israeli “gala” event was given the go-ahead for Wednesday evening in Paris, which the far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich was at one point expected to attend – although it was later thought his “presence” would be by video-link.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-racist organisations were planning demonstrations in the capital to coincide with the event.
Relations between Macron and Benyamin Netanyahu have come under severe strain in recent weeks, after Macron accused the Israeli prime minister of “spreading barbarism” in Gaza and Lebanon.
French Jews were also upset when Macron was quoted as saying that Netanyahu should accept United Nations calls for a ceasefire because “his country was itself created by a decision of the UN.” This was interpreted in Israel as an insult to Jews who had lost their lives in their country’s war of independence.
France in turn was angered when two French officials were briefly detained by Israeli authorities at a holy site in East Jerusalem that is under French administration.
Macron has been described as pursuing a zigzag in his approach to the Middle East, as in many other domains, flipflopping inconsistently between outspoken statements of support for Israel and then its Arab neighbours.
